Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/taleoftwocitiesm01john 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES: 


MINNEAPOLIS  « 

& and  ST.  PAUL 

COMPARED. 


“ And  thereby  hangs  a tale !’■ — William  Shakspeare. 

_ IjJ  - ^ 

COPYRIGHTED  1885. 

[SECOND  EDITION.] 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN.: 
Johnson,  Smith  & Harrison,  Printers. 
1885. 


9/7,7  4, 

TUT 

REASONS  FOR  THIS  BOOK. 


This  publication  is  issued  to  correct  many  errors  and  to  call  attention 
fairly  to  many  advantages  which  Minneapolis  offers  to  investors  and  people 
who  are  looking  for  permanent  homes  in  a thriving,  promising  western 
city.  We  claim  that  in  many  essential  particulars  Minneapolis  has  no 
equal  in  respect  of  her  development,  and  the  opportunities  presented  for 
business  men  of  enterprise  and  capital.  The  showing  which  she  makes 
in  population  and  wealth  can  find  parallel  in  no  other  city  in  the  country. 
The  point  in  tins  book  is  in  its  comparisons  with  its  nearest  rival  and 
neighbor,  St.  Paul.  They  are  not  made  with  hostile  purpose.  They  are 
unavoidable,  and  it  is  puerile  to  decry  them.  They  serve  both  cities 
as  a necessary  stimulus.  So  far  as  Minneapolis  is  concerned,  her  people 
do  not  fear  or  shrink  from  comparison,  and  the  same  is  true  of  those 
intelligent  people  in  St.  Paul  who  contemplate  the  growth  of  other  cities 
than  their  own  with  a broad  interest. 

What  we  object  to  is  persistent  misrepresentation  of  Minneapolis 
and  inordinate  padding  of  statistics  constantly  put  before  the  public  in 
newspapers  and  reports  belittling  Minneapolis  and  puffing  St.  Paul,  and 
the  ridiculous  attempt  to  reduce  them  to  an  equality.  The  truth  in 
regard  to  these  cities  is  good  enough.  It  is  quite  impossible  that  they 
should  be  the  same  in  all  respects,  and  the  indications  during  the  last 
ten  years  all  point  conclusively  to  the  fact,  as  we  think,  that  Minneapolis 
has  passed  her  rival  in  nearly  every  important  regard. 

Briefly  stated,  then,  this  work  sets  forth  a careful  comparison  of  the 
resources,  industries,  advantages  and  opportunities  of  the  two  cities  of 
Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  A studied  effort  has  been  made  in  certain 
quarters,  and  for  obvious  reasons,  to  make  it  appear  that  St.  Paul  is 
the  larger  and  wealthier  city,  or  failing  in  this,  that  Minneapolis  and 
St.  Paul  are  about  equal ; about  equal  in  population  and  wealth,  in 
railway  and  manufacturing  enterprises,  and  in  a variety  of  other  details 
going  to  make  up  desirable  inducements  to  promote  settlement  and 
investment.  There  are  marked  differences,  and,  as  we  believe,  vastly  to 
the  advantage  of  Minneapolis,  and  they  can  be  readily  demonstrated. 


iPjyiS 

.MJJ  v 


(M9 


P42805 


4 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


The  comparisons  are  instituted  upon  information  drawn  as  far  as- 
possible  from  official  records,  and  in  all  cases  from  the  best  available 
sources. 

The  work  is  fully  endorsed  by  the  Mayor  of  Minneapolis,  ana  the 
presidents  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Board  of  Trade. 

The  acknowledgments  of  the  compiler  are  due  and  cordially  tendered 
to  Sweet  W.  Case,  Esq.,  City  Assersor,  C.  C.  Sturtevant,  Secretary  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  C.  M.  Palmer,  Esq.,  Editor  Northwestern  Miller,  O.  M. 
Laraway,  Esq.,  Postmaster,  Samuel  Goodnow,  City  Comptroller,  Mr.  C.  W. 
Davison,  of  Davison  s Minneapolis  Directory,  A.  S.  Dimond,  Editor  Tour- 
ist and  Sportsman,  and  other  gentlemen  who  have  assisted  by  way  of  sug- 
gestion and  otherwise. 

C.  W.  JOHNSON. 


POPULATION 


It  is  a universally  accepted  fact  that  population  is  the  true  and  enduring 
basis  ol  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  states 'and  cities.  Given  the  population, 
.and  the  industrial  and  commercial  elements  that  combine  with  it  to  give  force 
to  a community  necessarily  follow.  Legislative  representation  and  political 
power  are  based  upon  it.  It  is,  therefore,  of  the  very  highest  importance  to 
the  state  that  the  enumerations  of  population  should  he  faithfully  made  in 
order  that  the  political  equities  between  individuals  and  communities  in  a free 
government  be  maintained. 

In  rapidly  growing  America,  especially  in  the  hustling,  hustling  western 
states,  many  anomalies  and  some  errors  necessarily  appear.  Allowing  a fair 
margin  for  all  these  circumstances,  it  is  still  insisted  on  that  collateral  facts 
ought  to  converge  in  support  of  census  work.  If  they  fail  to  do  so,  the  defects 
of  the  law  and  the  unwarranted  results  of  the  work  of  the  enumerator  are 
manifested.  The  census  law  of  Minnesota  is  very  defective ; the  question  of 
a faithful  count  is  left  largely  to  the  good  faith  of  the  census  officers,  and  the 
pressure  of  competition  upon  them.  Their  work  must  therefore  be  tested  by 
comparison,  and  to  this  task  we  apply  ourselves. 


6 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


THE  POPULATION  OF  MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL 


We  extract  from  the  daily  papers  the  reports  of  the  census  of  1885  of  both 
cities  : 


ST.  PAUL. 


The  following  are  the  figures  of  population  for  the  last  twenty  years  : 


Tear.  Population. 

1838 3 

1847 50 

1849  400 

1850  840 

1855  4,400 

1856  5,630 

1857  9,973 

The  following  table  shows  the  increase 

1885  1880  Incr. 

First  ward 15,056  6,344  8,712 


Second  ward. . . 9,299  5,317  3,982 
Third  ward. ...  12,249  6,073  6,176 
Fourth  ward..  .34,129  11,734  22,395 
Fifth  ward ....  25,389  9,317  16,072 


Year.  Population. 

1860 10,600 

1865 13,210 

1870 20,300 

1873 27,023 

1875 33,178 

1880  41,498 

1885 111,397 

in  St.  Paul  by  wards  from  1880  to  1885. 

1885  1880  Incr. 

Sixth  ward ....  13,565  2,688  10,877 
Seventh  ward. . 1,710  1,710 


Total 111,397  41,473  69,924 


MINNEAPOLIS. 


There  was  no  Minneapolis  until  1856  ; but  settlement  was  made  at  St.  An- 
thony, on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  in  1845.  That  portion  of  the  city  has  since 
been  embraced  in  what  is  now  Minneapolis.  For  purpose  of  comparison,  there- 
fore, the  population  is  given  from  1 845,  the  figures  being  those  given  in  the  cen- 
sus reports— State  and  United  States — up  to  1885.  The  showing  is  a remark- 
able one,  and  is  as  follows : 


1845 

45 

1850 

2,200 

1860 

5,821 

1865 

8,106 

1870 13,066 

1875 32,493 

1880 46,887 

1885 129,200 


The  following  table  shows  the  increase  by  wards  since  1880 : 


1880  1885  Incr. 

First  ward...  6,596  16,021  9,425 

Second  ward.  3,735  8,527  4,792 

Third  ward..  7,126  19,222  12,096 
Fourth  ward.  9,244  21,992  12,748 
Fifth  ward..  10, 020  20,063  10,043 


1880  1885  ' Incr. 

Sixth  ward..  10, 166  30,893  20,927 

Seventh  ward 6,971  6,971 

Eighth  ward 5,571  5,571 


46,887  129,200  82,413 


Total 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


7 


The  statisticians  of  St.  Paul,  using  the  directory  for  a basis  of  calculation 
attempt  to  show  that  the  growth  of  the  two  cities  was  in  about  the  same  pro- 
portion year  by  year  since  18S0.  For  Saint  Paul,  they  say,  the  increase  was  as 
follows : 

1880  to  1881  9,402 

1881  to  1882  24,935 

1882  to  1883 12,543 

And  for  Minneapolis,  as  follows  : 

1880- ’81 15,812 

1881- 82 15,406 

1882- 83 15,432 

The  increase  cited  for  Minneapolis,  it  is  true,  can  be  supported  by  its  city 
directory,  but  it  is  well  to  note  that  other  tests  agree  quite  as  well  with  it ; 
while  as  to  Saint  Paul,  glaring  discrepancies  and  inconsistencies  will  be  ob- 
served whenever  we  travel  away  from  the  city  directory  for  a standard  of  com- 
parison, and  the  directory  itself  will  not  bear  close  analysis.  Commenting  still 
further  on  the  growth  of  Minneapolis,  it  is  stated  that — 

“*#***  st.  Paul  is  spreading  to  all  points  of  the  compass,  and 
principally  westward,  so  that  the  oft-repeated  assertion  that  before  many  years 
pass  by  the  two  cities  will  be  one  in  reality  of  connecting  streets,  as  they  are 
in  boundary,  has  every  basis  of  truth. 

********** 

“There  is  nothing  in  the  figures  to  encourage  the  hope  that  Minneapolis 
will  grow  toward  St.  Paul.  The  smallest  growth  has  been  in  the  ward  which 
borders  the  city  limits  of  St.  Paul — the  Second.  The  increase  of  population 
has  been  even  more  rapid,  it  will  be  observed,  in  the  First  ward,  five  years  ago 
the  least  forward  ward  in  the  city,  and  which  is  north  from  St.  Paul.  The  rapid 
growth  of  the  city  has,  however,  been  on  the  west  and  south  sides  of  the  city, 
away  from  SI.  Paul  rather  than  toward  it,  and  comparatively  little  has  been 
contributed  to  the  closing  of  the  gap  between  the  two  cities.” 

There  is  something  plaintive  and  regretful  in  the  tone  of  the  above  para- 
graph. We  do  not  have  the  heart  to  reproach  the  yearning  of  St.  Paul  to  get 
nearer  to  her  beautiful,  stalwart  sister;  but  the  coyness  and  coquettishness 
With  which  these  advances  are  met  clearly  indicate  that  the  naughty  maiden 
of  the  falls  feels  that  she  would  rather  remain  single  than  unite  her  fortunes 
with  such  an  insinuating,  patronizing  suitor  as  St.  Paul.  And  yet,  as  against 
Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  world , when  St.  Paul  feels  that 
she  is  being  imposed  on,  Minneapolis  may  always  be  depended  on  to  strike 
heavy  blows  in  the  common  defense.  For  it  will  occur  immediately  to  any  one 
meditating  an  attack  on  either  city,  that  two  cities  so  near  together  with  a 
combined  population  of  240,597,  nearly  a quarter  of  a million  active  western 
people,  furnish  a substantial  resistance  whose  fores  is  well  understood  by  com- 
peting points. 


1883- 84 20,320 

1 884- ’ 85 15,594 


1883  to  1884 10,934 

1884  to  1885  12,075 


8 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


TAKING  THE  CENSUS. 


When  we  come  to  compare  the  methods  and  results  of  census  takingdn  Min- 
neapolis and  St.  Paul,  we  find  very  many  interesting  little  details.  We  think 
the  census  of  Minneapolis  can  be  demonstrated  to  be  accurate  and  reasonable 
in  a variety  of  ways ; the  usual  tests  applied  to  it  will  confirm  it.  Applying 
the  same  tests  to  results  in  St.  Paul,  we  shall  discover  an  unsat isfactori ness 
about  it,  a whichness  of  nothingness  to  base  it  upon  at  times  quite  startling, 
and  suggesting  the  inference  that  the  anxiety  to  win  in  competition  has  stim- 
ulated the  census  experts  to  see  triplets  where  only  twins  were  reported,  and 
to  disregard  boundary  lines  altogether. 

IN  1875. 

It  has  been  a long  time  since  an  honest  census  was  taken  in  St.  Paul.  When 
the  census  of  1875  was  taken,  under  the  direction  of  the  state  authorities 
the  schedules  for  Minneapolis  were  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  State  about 
August  1,  and  the  figures  exceeded  by  several  hundred  the  population  of  St. 
Paul.  On  this  fact  being  made  known  in  that  city  there  was  a commotion 
about  it,  and  under  the  pressure  of  leading  men  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  entire  city  wTas  recanvassed,  the  returns  held  back,  and  in  the  latter  part  of 
November  the  returns  were  finally  deposited  with  the  Secretary  of  State,  and 
the  results  then  being  made  public,  put  St.  Paul  several  hundred  ahead. 

IN  1880. 

The  census  was  again  taken,  this  time  under  the  direction  of  the  authorities 
at  Washington.  It  was  perfectly  apparent  to  every  careful  observer  that  in 
the  five  years  intervening  between  1875  and  1880  Minneapolis  had  far  out- 
stripped her  rival  in  growth  of  population.  But  the  census  takers  of  both 
cities  went  at  their  work  industriously  and  conscientiously,  determined  not 
to  lose  one  person  properly  entitled  to  enumeration.  Much  has  been  said 
about  the  comparative  accuracy  of  the  enumeration  of  that  year.  The  St.  Paul 
work  was  denounced  as  imperfect,  and  the  gentleman  who  conducted  it  as  an 
imbecile.  It  was  insisted  that  he  stubbornly  refused  to  enumerate  persons 
who  were  clearly  entitled  by  residence  there  to  be  put  on  the  lists ! No  list  of 
such  persons  was  ever  collected  or  made  public  or  presented  to  the  census 
office  in  Washington.  The  census  work  of  Minneapolis  was,  on  the  other 
hand,  violently  denounced  as  fraudulent,  and  the  person  in  charge  as  a knave 
and  a perjurer.  No  evidence  whatever  was  ever  even  indicated  that  a single 
name  was  put  on  the  Minneapolis  lists  improperly,  although  a searching  ex- 
amination was  made  of  these  lists  subsequently.  The  census  superintendent 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


9 


at  Washington  was  appealed  to  to  cause  a re-emimeration  of  Minneapolis  to  be 
made,  but  he,  after  examining  the  work  thoroughly,  fully  approved  it  in  writ- 
ing. And  all  the  circumstances  and  facts  of  the  growth  of  Minneapolis  have 
confirmed  over  and  over  again  the  census  work  of  1880.  One  striking  confirma- 
tion is  found  in  a table  found  below  which  shows  that  in  1880  Minneapolis 
enumerated  but  6.9  persons  to  each  school  child  enrolled  in  the  public  schools, 
while  St.  Paul  enumerated  9.5,  a greater  proportion  than  any  other  city  in  the 
United  States. 

FACTS  NOT  HERETOFORE  KNOWN. 

Pending  the  taking  of  the  population  in  1880,  and  before  the  districts  were 
all  completed,  the  exact  state  of  the  Minneapolis  census  was  made  known  in 
St.  Paul  and  published  in  the  Pioneer  Press  the  next  morning  At  that  very 
moment,  (it  was  near  the  close  of  June)  Minneapolis  led  St  Paul  by  about 
4,000.  The  enumerators  in  St.  Paul  had  covered  nearly  all  their  districts 
once,  and  were  going  over  their  work  tor  omissions,  as  was  permitted  by  the 
superintendent,  and  reporting  to  him  about  60  to  100  persons  per  day,  the 
number  daily  growing  smaller. 

The  same  state  of  affairs  existed  in  Minneapolis,  except  that  there  were  more 
districts  which  had  not  been  gone  ever  the  first  time,  and  several  were  very 
important  districts.  When  the  disparity  in  favor  of  Minneapolis  was  learned 
in  St  Paul,  there  was  a general  onslaught  on  the  supervisor  there,  and  though 
he  was  conscious  of  having  omitted  nothing  proper  to  he  inserted,  his  enumer- 
ators were  assembled  in  the  second  story  of  the  old  court  house,  and  there  set 
to  copying  lists  of  men  from  no  one  knew  where,  furnished  by  irresponsible 
persons.  The  averages  returned  by  this  plan  by  enumerators  whose  reports 
had  dwindled  down  to  60  per  day  quickly  rose  from  250  to  300  per  day.  One 
of  these  enumerator’s  districts  comprised  the  old  Manitoba  depot  and  a num- 
ber of  foreign  boarding  houses  in  that  vicinity.  It  was  one  of  the  most  dif- 
ficult districts  to  enumerate  in  that  city.  It  had  been  fully  canvassed,  and  yet 
after  the  scare  about  Minneapolis,  the  reports  showed  an  average  of  312  per 
day ! It  is  clear  that  these  schedules  were  simply  filled  up  by  copyists  to 
swell  the  number.  It  was  in  this  unauthorized  way  that  the  population  in 
St.  Paul  was  increased  from  about  38,000  to  over  11,000  in  1880.  The  schedules 
in  Washington,  now  in  the  archives  of  the  census  office,  will  verify  these  state- 
ments, as  they  also  verify  the  integrity  of  the  Minneapolis  census  taken  at  the 
same  time. 

THE  TWIN  CITIES. 

Lfss  than  sixty  days  had  elapsed  after  the  census  of  ’83  was  made  known 
when  the  St.  Paul  papers  claimed  that  the  population  of  the  two  cities  was 
about  equal,  and  began  to  do  the  “twin  sister”  act.  This  delusion 
has  been  cultivated  persistently  ever  since,  until  it  has  even  affected  unin- 
formed Minneapolitans.  To  support  it  the  directory  in  St.  Paul  has  been 
padded  year  after  year,  the  number  of  new  buildings  erected  have  been 
exaggerated,  and  other  statistics  deliberately  manufactured.  The  growth  of 
Minneapolis  during  ’81,  ’82  and  ’83  and  the  first  half  of  ’84  was  so  marked  as 
shown  by  official  returns  of  assessments,  real  estate  transfers,  number  of 


10 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


school  chiklien.  the  vote  cast  at  elections,  etc.,  that  St.  Paul  people  were 
actually  shamed  out  of  their  ridicu’ous  pretensions  that  the  cities  were  equal, 
or  any  thing  like  equal.  t was  now  time  to  do  something  to  attempt  to  close 
the  ever  widening  gap  of  population,  and  the  project  of  annexation  was  hit  on, 
the  project  of  appropriating,  as  Kamsey  County  had  an  unquestionable  right  in 
the  Legislature  to  do,  a valuable  territory  developed  principally  by  Minne- 
apolis capital  and  enterprise,  and  wh  ch  greatly  preferred  to  be  left  by  itself. 
This  was  cute  and  the  plan  was  successful.  Jn  the  nature  of  things,  and  with 
the  precedents  in  the  Legislature  of  conceding  to  each  county  the  control  of  its 
own  affairs,  our  delegation  could  not  resist  it. 

THE  OLD  PBETENSE. 

that  the  two  cities  would  now  be  equal  was  again  set  up,  and  the  census  for 
1885  was  undertaken  with  the  purpose  of  establishing  it.  There  is  little  doubt 
that  various  schemes  of  public  improvement  were  inaugurated  against  the 
protests  of  the  unwilling  tax-payers  of  St.  Paul  tor  the  purpose  of  drawing 
thither  large  numbers  of  men  from  Minneapolis  and  other  places  to  swell  the 
census,  and  the  scheme  worked  pretty  well.  The  number  drawn  from  this 
city  was  not  very  great,  however,  as  M inneapolis  had  also  large  plans  of  her  own 
for  growth  and  development,  and  was  able  to  give  employment  to  her  own 
labor. 

IN  1885. 

Everything  was  now  cut  and  dried  for  the  state  census  of  1885.  The  new 
territory  had  been  taken  in,  the  directory  was  padded  up  to  support  a popula- 
tion of  110,000,  the  new  public  buildings  were  set  in  operation,  the  bridges  and 
railroads  were  all  manned  to  the  maximum.  The  instructions  to  enumerators 
were  liberal  and  emphatic.  “ Give  the  city  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  every 
time,”  was  the  motto  of  the  census  taker,  and  he  did  so — several  times  in 
many  instances.  They  made  a clean  sweep;  they  took  people  at  their  houses, 
as  was  proper,  and  again  where  they  were  at  work,  which  was  very  improper. 
It  is  too  old  a trick  to  copy  hotel  registers  and  graveyard  records,  but  they 
invented  new  and  novel  ways  of  securing  names,  on  a comprehensive  scale. 
After  considerable  effort,  and  the  employment  of  much  machinery  not  known 
to  the  census  law,  repeated  revisions,  additions,  multiplications  and  distribu- 
tions St.  Paul  finally  succeeded  in  conforming  her  census  to  the  directory 
and  the  rest  of  the  well  laid  out  programme,  and  reported  a population  of 
111,307,  to  120,200  in  Minneapolis.  And  upon  the  results  in  both  cities 
being  made  known  to  each  other,  she  sets  up  the  cry  of  fraud  to  divert  atten- 
tion from  her  own  crookedness,  and  refuses  to  send  the  official  figures  by 
Associated  Press  to  the  newspapers  of  the  country;  thus  taking  the  last  step 
she  will  have  an  opportunity  to  take  in  many  years  to  smother  the  information 
that  Minneapolis  has  finally  outrun  her,  and  that  it  is  useless  for  her  to  attempt 
to  enter  this  race  again. 

Now  lor  more  comparisons. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST  PAUL  COMPARED. 


11 


COMPARISONS  WITH  THE  VOTE. 


POPULATION  OP  ST.  PAUL  BY  WARDS. 
The  census  of  St.  Paul  as  reported  by  wards  is  as  follows : 


First  ward 15,056 

Second  ward 9,299 

Third  ward 12,249 

Fourth  ward 34,129 

Fifth  ward 25,389 


Sixth  ward 13,565 

Seventh  ward 1,710 


111,397 


VOTE  OF  ST.  PAUL  BY  WARDS. 


The  largest  vote  cast  in  St  Paul  proper  to  he  adopted  as  a basis  of  com- 
parison is  that  of  November,  1884,  cast  during  the  presidential  election,  when 
there  was  also  a lively  canvass  for  congressman,  and  an  unusually  hard  fight 
on  many  local  candidates.  The  vote  that  year  by  wards  was  as  follows: 


First  ward 1,998 

Second  ward 1,623 

Third  ward 2,097 

Fourth  ward 4,029 

Fifth  ward 3,550 


* This  is  new  territory,  and  the  vote  gi 
election  of  1885. 


Sixth  ward 1,315 

Seventh  ward*.’. 418 


15,040 

is  that  cast  in  the  Seventh  ward  in  the  spring 


RATIO  OF  POPULATION  TO  THE  VOTE  CAST. 

From  the  above  tables  another  table  is  deducible,  showing  the  number 
of  inhabitants  enumerated  to  each  voter  in  St.  Paul,  as  follows  : 


First  ward 7.5  census  names  to  a vote. 

Second  ward 5.7  census  names  to  a vote. 

Third  ward 5.8  census  names  to  a vote. 

Fourth  ward 8.4  census  names  to  a vote. 

Fifth  ward 7.2  census  names  to  a vote. 

Sixth  ward 10.2  census  names  to  a vote. 

Seventh  ward* 4 census  names  to  a vote. 


* There  is  but  one  conclusion  to  be  derived  from  the  result  in  the  Seventh  ward ; that 
is,  the  fraud  is  in  the  number  of  illegal  votes  cast,  probably  200,  in  the  spring  election, 
comprising  gangs  of  railroad  men . 

The  average  number  enumerated  to  each  voter  in  the  whole  city,  was 
7.42  persons. 

POPULATION  OF  MINNEAPOLIS  BY  WARDS. 


First  ward 16,021 

Second  ward 8,527 

Third  ward 19,222 

Fourth  ward 21,992 

Fifth  ward 20,062 


Sixth  ward 30,89.3 

Seventh  ward 6,971 

Eighth  ward 5,511 


129,200 


12 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


VOTE  OF  MINNEAPOLIS  BY  WABDS. 


The  basis  of  comparison  is  the  same  election  as  used  for  St  Paul,  -viz., 
the  presidential  election  of  1884,  as  follows  : 


Pirst  ward 2,669 

Second  ward 1,494 

Third  ward 3,004 

Fourth  ward 3,781 

Fifth  ward 3,674 


Sixth  ward 4,466 

Seventh  ward 1,193 

Eighth  ward 914 


21,951 


BATIO  OF  POPULATION  TO  THE  VOTE. 


First  ward 6 census  names  to  a vote. 

Second  ward 5.7  census  names  to  a vote. 

Third  ward 6.3  census  names  to  a vote. 

Fourth  ward 5.8  census  names  to  a vote. 

Fifth  ward 5.4  census  names  to  a vote. 

Sixth  ward 6.9  census  names  to  a vote. 

Seventh  ward 5.8  census  names  to  a vote. 

Eighth  ward 6 census  names  to  a vote. 


The  average  number  enumerated  to  each  voter  in  Minneapolis  was  <1.01 
persons  ; in  St.  Paul,  7.4. 


REGISTRATION  OF  VOTERS. 


Pending  the  election  of  1884,  a determined  effort  was  made  in  Saint  Paul 
to  exceed  the  Minneapolis  registration  of  voters.  A fund  was  subscribed;  a 
joint  committee  of  both  parties  was  constituted  to  look  after  registration ; hacks 
were  hired;  bands  were  out;  notices  printed  and  distributed  on  a large  scale, 
and  the  utmost  endeavor  was  made  to  secure  a large  registration.'  The  follow- 
ing shows  the  results  of  registration  in  each  city  for  the  same  election,  no  special 
effort  having  been  made  in  Minneapolis: 

MINNEAPOLIS. 


First  ward  

Sixth  ward 

6,152 

Second  ward  

2 071 

Seventh  ward  ...  . 

1,679 

Third  ward 

4,315 

Eighth  ward 

1,190 

Fourth  ward 

— 

Fifth  ward 

,151 

Total 

ST.  PAUL. 

First  ward 

2,631 

Sixth  ward 

1,419 

Second  ward 

2,173 

Seventh  ward* 

418 

Third  ward 

2,571 

— 

Fourth  ward  

5,591 

Total 

. /'8,927 

Fifth  ward 

4,074 

* We  add  in  the  418  votes  cast  in  this  ward  in  the  spring  election  of  1885. 


It  was  vehemently  claimed  in  that  election  that  the  voters  of  Saint  Paul 
did  not  come  out,  hut  the  above  figures  show  that  of  the  voters  registered  in 
Saint  Paul  79  per  cent,  actually  voted,  and  in  Minneapolis  but  75  per  cent,  voted. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


13 


THE  NUMBER  OF  HOUSES. 


In  order  to  arrive  at  a fair  comparison  of  the  recent  census 
by  a direct  but  unofficial  method,  an  examination  has  been  made  of 
the  number  of  residence  houses  in  both  cities.  Within  a year  a map 
publisher  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  G.  M.  Hopkins,  compiled  an  atlas  showing 
every  structure  in  both  cities.  The  work  was  intended  primarily  ror  the 
use  of  fire  insurance  companies  all  over  the  United  States.  It  not  only 
purports  to  show  every  structure  but  the  material  of  which  it  is  built  as 
well  It  shows  the  contiguity,  size  and  location  on  the  lot,  of  each  house. 
It  was  compiled  after  a careful  inspection  by  a person  who  made  a diagram 
of  each  house.  It  is  as  near  absolutely  correct  as  such  a work  can  be 
made.  It  is  thoroughly  impartial,  being  compiled  by  an  outsider,  and 
mainly  for  the  use  of  outsiders,  who  are  carrying  insurance  on  our 
buildings,  and  who  have  no  interest  whatever  in  our  squabbles.  A.  count 
of  the  houses  as  they  appear  on  these  two  maps,  adding  215  houses  to 
St.  Paul  for  the  Seventh  ward,  which  was  created  since  this  map  was 
made,  and  which  is  the  number  of  houses  in  that  ward  by  actual  count, 
has  been  made,  and  is  here  presented. 

NUMBER  OF  HOUSES  IN  SAINT  PAUL. 


\ 

First  ward 1,468 

Second  ward 929 

Third  ward 1,292 

Fourth  ward 4,097 

Fifth  ward  8,159 

Sixth  ward 1,385 

Seventh  ward 215 


Total  number  houses  in  Saint  Paul 12,545 


NUMBER  OF  HOUSES  IN  MINNEAPOLIS. 


First  ward 2,339 

Second  ward 1,130 

Third  ward 2,679 

Fourth  ward 2,379 

Fifth  ward 2,971 

Sixth  ward 3,479 

Seventh  ward : 1,483 

Eighth  ward 1,088 


Total  number  houses  in  Minneapolis 17,588 

Number  in  Saint  Paul 12,545 


Difference  in  favor  of  Minneapolis 5,043 


u 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


From  the  above  count  of  houses  it  is  easy  to  figure  that  in  enumerat- 
ing the  population  of  Saint  Paul  the  following  number  of  persons  were 
enumerated  in  each  house  in  the  several  wards  : 

Persons 


per 

House. 


First  ward 10.25 

Second  ward 10.01 

Third  ward 9.48 

Fourth  ward 8.33 

Fifth  ward 8.03 

Sixth  ward, 9.87 

Seventh  ward 7.95 


Or  an  average  of  8.87  persons  to  each  house  in  Saint  Paul, 
this  with  Minneapolis  : 


Compare 


Persons 


First  ward 

Second  ward. . 
Third  ward 
Fourth  ward* 

Fifth  ward 

Sixth  ward 
Seventh  ward. . 
Eighth  ward. . . 


per 

House . 

. 6.84 

. 7.54 

. 7.17 
. 9.24 

. 6.75 

. 8.94 
. 6.04 

. 5.12 


*It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Fourth  ward  contains  the  West 


Hotel,  Nicollet  House,  Clark  House,  The  Albion,  Hoblit  House,  The  Pauly 
House,  The  Carr  House,  The  Wessex,  and  a large  number  of  large  board- 
ing houses.  The  Sixth  ward  also  contains  a large  number  of  ■ foreign 
boarding  houses,  the  Beard  block,  and  other  populous  sections. 

The  general  average  arrived  at  in  Minneapolis  was  7.34  persons 
enumerated  per  house  as  against  8.87  in  St.  Paul ! 

There  are  5,043  more  houses  in  Minneapolis  than  in  St.  Paul.  If  we 
were  to  estimate  the  difference  in  the  population  of  the  two  cities  using 
the  lower,  i.  e.  the  Minneapolis  multiple,  we  should  have  this  example  : 


Houses. 

5,043 


Average  Difference 
per  in  favor  of 
House.  Minneapolis. 

x 7.34  = 37,016 


And  this  is  really  about  the  difference  in  population. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST  PAUL  COMPARED. 


15 


THE  SIXTH  ATARI). 


This  territory  is  an  interesting  field  for  comparison,  and  a special 
examination  has  been  made  of  it.  The  enumerators  when  they  first  went 
over' it  got  about  11,000  people.  They  reached  these  enormous  figures  by  in- 
cluding all  the  employes  on  all  the  grading  sections  headed  for  St.  Paul  on  the 
new  railroad  routes,  the  Chicago  people  at  work  on  the  new  bridge,  and  by 
taking  in  a large  section  of  Dakota  county.  Adjoining  the  Sixth  ward,  a 
kind  of  overflow  of  its  rapidly  developing  territory,  are  about  160  houses, 
mostly  new,  all  in  West  St.  Paul  township  in  Dakota  county. 

The  people  living  in  them  were  all  taken  by  the  assessor  of  the  West.  St. 
Paul  township,  when  he  made  his  assessments.  They  were  again  taken  on 
the  St.  Paul  schedules,  by  the  enumerator  of  the  Sixth  ward,  and  included  in 
his  returns.  His  schedules  now  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  will  show  it.  Adopting  the  multiple  used  in  enumerating  the  Sixth 
ward,  viz  : 9.87  persons  per  house,  we  find  that  the  enumerator  in  the  Sixth 
ward  put  on  his  lists  fifteen  hundred  and  eighty  people  who  then  lived  and 
now  live  in  Dakota  county.  But  eleven  thousand  people  got  in  this  way 
was  not  enough.  The  returns  claim  13,565  ! The  Sixth  ward  has  not  many 
large  houses  of  any  kind  and  few  large  boarding  houses.  The  buildings 
which  have  all  been  carefully  counted  and  analyzed  by  going  from  house  to 
house  show  up  as  follows  : 


Four-room  houses 762 

Six-room  houses 448 

Eight-room  houses 178 

Twelve-room  houses 22 

Boarding-houses  and  hotels 14 

Vacant  houses 71 


Total 1,495 


The  above  also  includes  all  stores,  most  of  which  were  occupied  by 
families  in  the  upper  stories.  Those  who  believe  that  the  four  or  six-room 
houses  in  the  Sixth  ward  will  contain  9.87  persons  each  are  to  be  admired 
for  their  enthusiasm  ; and  those  who  believe  that  the  Sixth  ward  has  13,565 
inhabitants  are  to  be  pitied  for  their  credulity. 


16 


A TALE  OE  TWO  CITIES. 


WEST  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED  WITH  PRINCIPAL  CITIES  OP 
MINNESOTA  AND  DAKOTA. 


From  a recent  editorial  article  in  the  Minneapolis  Tribune  relative  to  the 
census  of  the  Sixth  Ward,  Saint  Paul,  returned  at  13,565,  weabridge  the  follow- 
ing : 

The  population  of  some  of  the  principal  cities  of  Minnesota  is  as  follows: 


Dulntli  

18,036 

Stillwater 

16,438 

W inona  

15,625 

Mankato 

Red  Wing 

Faribault 

Albert  Lea 

5,367 

Rochester 5,314 

Anoka 4,629 

St  Cloud 4,560 

Fergus  Falls 4,985 

Hastings 3.9S4 


Sixth  Ward  (West  St.  Paul)..  13,565 


The  above  fable  shows  the  territory  of  the  Sixth  W ard,  or  West  St,  Paul,  as 
returned  by  the  enumerators  to  have  nearly  the  same  population  as  Duluth,  Still- 
water, and  Winona,  and  to  have  nearly  twice  the  population  of  Mankato,  over 
twice  that  of  Red  Wing,  Faribault,  Albert  Lea  and  tiochester;  more  than  three 
times  that  of  Anoka,  St.  Cloud,  Fergus  Falls  and  St.  Peter;  or  four  times  the 
population  of  Fastings. 

The  Sixth  Ward  at  the  last  presidential  election  cast  1 335  votes,  and  some 
of  the  towns  named  above,  at  the  same  election  cast  a total  vote  as  follows  : 


Stillwater. 
Winona  . . 
Red  Wing 
Faribault. 
Rochester 


2,496  I St.  Cloud 956 

3,172  I Brainerd 1.170 

1,589  Fergus  Falls. 875 

1,246  I St.  Peter 528 

979  | 


It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  census  of  the  Sixth  Ward  is  not  sustained 
by  the  vote  when  compared  with  these  thriving  towns  of  Minnesota. 


COMPARISONS  IN  DAKOTA. 

In  order  to  facilitate  further  comparisons  by  merchants  and  other  people 
in  Dakota,  who,  like  the  leading  citizens  of  Minnesota,  are  quite  familiar  with 
the  extent  and  appearance  of  West  Saint  Paul,  we  add  a table  showing  the  popu- 
lation of  some  of  the  leading  cities  ot  North  and  South  Dakota  : 


NORTH  DAKOTA. 

Fargo 8,201  I Jamestown  2,482 

Grand  Forks 4,692  | Mandan 2,263 

Bismarck 3,067  | 


SOUTH  DAKOTA. 

Sioux  Falls  7,205  I Chamberlain 1,559 

Watertown 2,819  I Pierre 1,527 

Aberdeen ,164  | 

Does  anybody  believe  West  Saint  Paul  has  nearly  twice  as  many  people  as 
Fargo  or  Sioux  Falls,  or  three  times  the  population  of  Bismarck,  the  capital,  or 
Grand  Forks?  The  plain  answer  to  this  conundrum  is,  that  nobody  believes 
it — not  even  the  members  of  the  Jobber’s  Union. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  C'OMPAKED. 


17 


THE  SCHOOL  CENSUS. 


The  state  census  compared  with  the  number  of  school  children  enrolled  in 
Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  presents  striking  features.  It  is  claimed  in  St.  Paul 
that  the  reason  why  the  ratio  of  the  census  is  so  large  when  compared  with  the 
school  children  enrolled,  is  that  there  is  so  large  a proportion  of  children  of 
schoolable  age  in  private  and  denominational  schools.  In  order  to  meet  this 
plausible  theory  we  have  taken  about  twenty  other  cities  into  the  account, 
basing  our  comparisons  of  these  other  cities  on  the  report  of  the  United  States 
Commissioner  of  Education  of  1881,  immediately  after  the  census  of  1880  was 
completed.  Surely  many  of  these  outside  cities  must  present  similar  conditions 
to  those  found  in  St.  Paui  in  respect  to  private  schools. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  persons  enumerated  to  each  school 


child  enrolled  in  the  public 
Kansas  City,  1880  

schools  : 

....  6.9 

Milwaukee 

1880  

Cleveland,  6.  “ 

6.4 

Nashville, 

Boston, 

St  Louis. 

7 4 

Columbus  0 “ 

6 4 

4. 

6 0 

Albany  N.  Y.  “ 

6 5 

44 

6 8 

^Rochester  N.Y.  “ 

6 6 

Philadelphia, 

Chicago, 

44 

8 2 

Providence. B. I.  ‘‘  

. . . 7.3 

“ 

7.8 

Leavenworth , “ 

5.2 

"W  inona, 

‘4 

6 0 

Peoria,  “ 

6,1 

Stillu  ater, 
Minneapolis, 
St.  Paul, 
Minneapolis, 
St.  Paul, 

(4 

9 0 

Denver,  “ 

7.1 

44 

6 9 

l( 

....  58 

8 9 

Hacine.  ’ “ 

. ...  6.7 

4 4 

11.7 

According  to  reports  made  to  the  respective  Boards  of  Education  of  the 
two  cities  at  the  close  of  the  Spring  term  last  June,  and  covering  the  enroll- 
ment for  the  year  just  past,  the  enrollment  was  as  follows: 

Minneapolis 14,515  | St.  Paul 9,491 


The  following  is  a list  of  the  public  schools  of  Minneapolis  and  Saint  Paul, 
with  the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  month  of  September,  1885,  the 
first  month  of  the  fall  term  : 


SAINT  PAUL. 

Schools. 

High 

Training 

Franklin 

Madison 

Van  Buren 

Jefferson 

Lincoln 

Monroe 

Webster 

Jackson  

Humboldt 


Pupils. 

355 

206 

856 

751 

545 

497 

477 

406 

389 

381 

364 


18 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


Schools.  Pupils. 

Adams 321 

Neill 321 

River 310 

Garfield 288 

Rice 358 

Sibley 256 

Cleveland 237 

Irving 55 

Merriam  Park 46 

Saint  Anthony  Park 36 

Harvester  Works 32 

Ham  line 32 


Total 7,519 


MINNEAPOLIS. 

Schools 

Adams 

Clay 

Douglas  

Emerson 

Everett 

Franklin 

Garfield 

Harrison 

Hawthorn 

High ‘ 

Humboldt 

Irviug 

Jackson  

Jefferson 

Lincoln 

Longfellow 

Lyndale 

Madison 

Marcey 

Monroe 

Prescott 

Sumner  

Washington 

Webster 

Whittier 

Winthrop 

"White  or  Silver  Lake 

Totals 


ats. 

Pupils. 

774 

881 

438 

434 

83 

67 

536 

231 

207 

182 

662 

692 

418 

464 

442 

274 

418 

496 

485 

426 

428 

283 

437 

468 

426 

392 

620 

580 

557 

478 

200 

265 

235 

184 

430 

473 

437 

393 

524 

541 

228 

162 

620 

554 

636 

617 

367 

394 

436 

487 

591 

589 

48 

40 

,299 

11,097 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  enumerating  11.7  persons  to  each  school  child 
enrolled  in  1885,  8t.  Paul  enumerat  s nearly  twice  as  many  as  nearly  all  the 
other  cities  cited,  and  nearly  thr  e more  than  the  one  next  below  her  (Still- 
water). There  is  no  theory  that  can  be  set  up  to  explain  this  story  of  the 
figures.  The  reas  ina'de  explanations  a’-e  all  against  it. 

For  in-tance,  it  is  a well  understood  fact  that  manufacturing  cities  have 
a greater  proportion  of  unmarried  men  to  the  population  than  merely  commer- 
cial Cities.  It  follows,  in  such  cases,  that  the  proportion  of  persons  enumerated 
-to  school  children  enrolled,  must  therefore  be  larger.  The  figures  above  quoted 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


19 


for  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Providence,  and  Stillwater  disclose  this  fact.  We 
believe  it  has  never  been  claimed  for  St.  Paul  that  it  is  a manufacturing  city. 
Boston,  Saint  Louis,  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  San  Francisco,  and  Minneapolis  each 
have  strong  denominational  schools,  and  the  number  taken  from  the  enrollment 
in  the  public  schools  is  reduced  thereby,  but  none  of  them  present  such  an  as- 
tonishing discrepancy  as  the  figures  in  Saint  Paul  show.  The  situation  in  which 
Saint  Paul  is  placed  is  that  the  census  recently  taken  is  grossly  wrong,  or  the 
local  public  school  system  wretchedly  poor — inferior  in  fact  to  the  parochial 
schools  surrounding  it;  that  a large  proportion  of  schoolable  children  are  sent 
to  schools  where  tuition  js  charged  in  preference  to  the  public  schools  which 
are  free.  We  think  it  is  clear  that  it  is  the  census  that  is  at  fault;  for  the 
system  of  public  schools  in  Saint  Paul,  though  by  no  means  so  good  as  in  Min- 
neapolis, is  lully  up  to  the  standard  of  the  other  cities  named  in  our  compari- 
sons. 

When  compared  with  Minneapolis,  St.  Paul  claims  too  much  when  it  is 
assumed  that  the  number  of  pupils  in  private  and  denominational  schools  in 
that  city  exceeds  the  number  in  Minneapolis.  The  Catholic  schools  in  St. 
Paul  comprise  tour-fifths  of  the  attendance  in  such  schools,  and  between  the 
two  cities  the  account  stands  thus — we  have  the  figures  from  the  best  official 
authority  in  the  church: 


SAINT 


St.  Joseph’s  Academy 200 

Visitation  Academy 50 

■Cathedral,  boys’ school 250 

Cathedral,  girls’  school 235 

Assumption,  boys 3(J0 

Assumption,  girls 500 

St.  Mary’s  Christian  Brothers — 300 


PAUL. 


St.  Louis 175 

St.  Joseph’s 190 

Sacred  Heart 189 

St.  Francis  180 

St.  Michael’s 175 


2,744 


St.  Anthony 

Immaculate  Conception 

St.  Joseph’s  

St  Boniface 

Holy  Kosary 


MINNEAPOLIS, 


370 

410 

155 

175 

380 


St.  Elizabeth . . 
Orphan  School 


120 

70 

1,680 


Only  about  1,000  more  in  St.  Paul  than  in  Minneapolis. 

The  number  of  pupils  in  Minneapolis  outside  of  the  Catholic  schools  in  pri- 
vate seliools  is  more  than  double  that  in  St.  Paul.  The  University  of  Minne- 
sota has  more  pupils  (350)  than  all  the  so-called  universities  and  colleges  in  St. 
Paul  combined.  Curtiss’  Business  College  in  Minneapolis  has  more  pupils 
than  all  the  business  colleges  in  St.  Paul,  including  the  Curtiss  College  there 
Then  there  is  the  Augsburg  Seminary,  the  Bennett  Institute,  Archibald’s,  the 
Minneapolis  Academy,  Miss  Judson’s,  the  Episcopal  schools,  and  several  Scan- 
dinavian  parochial  schools,  and  the  kindergartens.  The  St.  Paul  census  cannot 
be  bolstered  up  by  indefinite  assumption,  and  the  gap  which  is  clearly  shown 
iD  the  number  of  school  buildings,  teachers’  roll,  and  the  enrollment  ot  public 
school  children  cannot  be  bridged  by  saying  that  the  children  of  St  Paul  at- 
tend private  schools,  for  in  this  regard  Minneapolis  is  also  ahead. 


A TALE  OE  TWO  CITIES. 


20 


THU  STORY  OF  THE  DIRECTORIES. 


These  who  have  the  hardihood  to  defend  the  recent  census  of  St.  Paul,  justify 
it  upon  the  directory  alone;  the  directory  as  compared  with  the  directory  and 
census  of  Minneapolis.  The  directory,  under  the  strain  of  competition  and 
removed  from  the  restraints  of  the  pains  and  penalties  for  perjury,  is  not  con- 
sidered a reliable  criterion.  In  many  cas^s  it  is  not  even  approximate.  In 
the  case  of  St.  Paul  it  is  not  a s ife  approximate.  The  usual  ratio  ol  directory 
estimate  in  figuring  population  can  be  mainta  ned  when  the  Minneapolis  census 
is  compared  to  her  directory,  but  no  stress  has  ever  been  laid  on  that  fact ; there 
were  so  many  other  and  official  figures  sustaining  it  In  order  that  the  census 
of  St.  Paul  shall  bear  a proper  ratio  to  the  directory  of  St.  Paul,*  it  is  necessary 
that  all  the  firm  names,  references,  cross  references,  &c  , should  be  counted  as 
individuals , and  that  over  two  thousand  servant  girls  inserted  in  the  book  as  “do- 
mestics”, for  purely  padding  purposes,  shall  all  be  counted.  Both  cities  should 
have  the  same  basis.  If  the  firms, “domestics”,  &c.,  are.  thrown  out  in  Minneap- 
olis, they  should  be  thrown  out  in  St.  Paul.  It  is  vehemently  denied  by  the  lead- 
ing newspaper  of  St.  Paul  that  these  firms,  references,  &c.,  are  included,  but  an 
analysis  of  the  St.  Paul  book  shows  that  I hey  are.  The  number  of  individual 
names  in  the  Minneapolis  book  is  44,250,  as  ayainst  38,961  individual  names  in 
the  St.  Paul  book.  The  St.  Paul  book  is  claimed  to  contain  43,960  names,  and 
this  is  the  number  used  as  a basis  of  computation.  By  actual  count,  the  St. 
Paul  directory  contains  43,825  names,  including  all  cross  reference  lines,  firms, 
corporation  names,  names  of  churches,  schools  and  “domestics.”  The  following 
table  shows,  how  many  individual  names  it  contains,  and  what  else  is 
stuffed  into  the  false  basis  of  comparison. 


Whole  No. 

" entries 

“ Domestics” 

References, 
firms  etc.. 

Residue 1 

Whole  No. 
entries 

“ Domestics” 

References, 
fiims,  etc... 

Residue 

A 

1,389 

3.792 

2,748 

1C9 

33 

1,247 

3,388 

N 

1,213 

1,183 

2,019 

103 

1,993 

4,620 

1,196 

119 

74 

90 

1,049 

1,057 

1,807 

90 

B 

150 

259 

O 

80 

114 

46 

C . 

121 

195 

2,432 

1,724 

843 

P 

98 

D 

1,938 

952 

69 

145 

Q 

10 

3 

E . . 

47 

62 

R 

74 

120 

1,799 

3,976 

1,098 

83 

F .. 

1.732 

2,038 

3,411 

150 

78 

136 

1 518 

S 

258 

386 

G 

81 

133 

1,824 

3,009 

139 

T 

54 

44 

II . 

167 

235 

U 

4 

32 

I 

4 

7 

Y 

383 

13 

21 

349 

J 

1,476 
2 031 

145 

31 

1,300 

1,788 

W 

2,401 

177 

80 

132 

2,189 

K . 

102 

141 

Y 

5 

15 

157 

L 

2,362 

1,192 

3,037 

108 

66 

119 

77 

64 

238 

2,177 

1,062 

2,680 

Z 

197 

9 

4 

184 

JYLC 

M 

43,852 

2,141 

2,747 

38,964 

MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


21 


A glance  at  the  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  directories  will  easily  convince 
any  one  of  the  glaring  attempt  at  padding  in  many  respects  besides  the  ones 
above  cited.  But  it  is  a very  easy  thing  to  pick  flaws  in  a city  directory. 
They  are  not  intended  to  he  more  than  approximately  reliable,  and  when  com- 
pared with  official  reports  vary  greatly  in  their  showing. 


THE  DUAL  CITY  BLUE  BOOK. 


Some  genius  in  the  directory  line  conceived  the  enterprise  of  compiling 
tor  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  a directory  of  all  the  leading  society  people,  and 
all  people  whom  it  was  worth  while,  in  the  judgment  of  the  compiler,  for  a 
retail  dry  goods  man  to  send  circulars  and  announcements  to.  Eeference  is 
made  to  the  “Dual  City  Blue  Book,”  a work  gotten  out  by  parties  outside  of 
both  cities,  and  printed  in  St.  Paul.  This  little  work  states  the  number  of 


such  persons  as  follows: 

No.  pages. 

No.  to  page. 

Total  No. 
names. 

Minneapolis 

89 

90 

9,010 

St.  Paul 

60 

90 

5,400 

According  to  the  above  authority  Minneapolis  is  shown  to  be  much  the 
stronger  socially ; that  is,  there  are  more  spike-tail  coats,  high  collars,  more 
silks,  satins,  diamonds,  jewelry  and  gim-cracks  generally;  more  ton.  We 
have  always  contended  that  this  was  true,  but  we  did  not  expect  to  demon- 
strate it  so  clearly  by  cold  statistics. 


22 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


THE  SHOWING  AT  THE  POST-OFFICE. 


A fair  indication  of  the  growth  of  a city  may  be  found  in  the  business  trans- 
acted at  the  post  office.  St.  Paul  has  always  claimed  the  advantage  in  this 
respect,  but  the  figures  do  not  sustain  this  claim.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  clearly 
shown  that  Minneapolis  completely  distances  her  competitor,  in  number  of 
money  orders  and  postal  notes  issued,  and  in  aggregate  receipts,  when  the  busi- 
ness which  pertains  to  St.  Paul  proper  is  considered. 

The  receipts  of  the  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  post  offices  for  the  year  ending 
December  81,  1834,  were,  respectively,  $183,925.74  and  $178,218.97,  an  excess- 
of  $5,706.77  in  favor  of  St.  Paul 

Taken  alone,  postal  receipts  are  not  an  unerring  criterion  of  population ; the 
character  of  the  business  must  necessarily  be  taken  into  account.  Manufac- 
turing enterprises  do  not  require  the  volume  of  correspondence  as  does  the  job- 
bing trade  of  a city.  A publishing  house  which  has  a large  weekly  circulation 
may  make  thousands  of  dollars  difference  in  the  postal  receipts,  without  per- 
ceptibly increasing  the  population.  For  instance,  the  item  of  newspaper  post- 
age in  the  receipts  of  the  St.  Paul  post  office,  for  the  year  given,  exceeds  the 
Minneapolis  receipts  for  the  same  item  $12,000,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
persons  engaged  in  the  publishing  business  in  St.  Paul  correspondingly  exceed 
in  number  those  engaged  in  the  same  calling  in  Minneapolis.  It  will  be  noted 
that  this  one  item  is  more  than  double  the  total  excess  of  receip  ts  of  St* 
Paul  over  Minneapolis,  confirming  the  correctness  of  the  above  theory. 

To  this  may  be  estimated,  upon  the  same  theory,  the  State  capitol,  $4,000, 
and  the  headquarters  of  three  railroads,  $9,000,  equal  in  the  aggregate  to  $25,000, 
which  might  be  taken  from  the  receipts  of  the  St.  Paul  post-office  without  ma- 
terially reducing  the  population,  leaving  their  legitimate  postal  receipts  $158,925 
an  excess  in  favor  of  Minneapolis  of  $19,293. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  money  orders  issued  from  the 
Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  post-offices  since  the  establishment  of  the  present 
money  order  system  of  transmitting  money  by  mail,  begun  in  1866. 

MONEY  ORDERS. 

The  money  order  blanks  are  issued  by  the  post-office  department  to  the 
post-offices  in  series  numbered  as  high  as  100,000.  When  the  first  series  is 
finished  a new  series  of  blank  orders  is  supplied  and  No,  1 is  started  as  on  the 
previous  series.  The  table  given  below  shows  the  aggregate  number  of  orders 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMP  ABED. 


23 


issued  by  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul,  with  the  net  annual  gain  of  each  city  since 
1876.  The  figures  clearly  indicate  the  remarkable  advance  made  by  the  Minne- 
apolis post  office: 


Sept.  14, 

St.  Paul. 

Minneapolis. 

1876 

46,891 

42,771 

1877  

54,627 

50,649 

1878  

63,602 

60,258 

1879  

72,135 

73  900 

1880  

85,456 

85,523 

1881 

98.363 

New  Series  798 

1882  

12,788 

19,152 

1883 

27,705 

41.424 

1884  

39,656 

59,110 

1885 

58,547 

85,125 

In  Exc  s of 
Minneapolis. 


4,120 

3,978 

3,344 

1,765 


In  Excess 
of  St  Paul. 


67 

2,433 

6,364 

13,719 

9,454 

26,578 


September  14  is  the  date  in  each  year  to  which  count  is  made.  It  will  be 
seen  that  on  September  14,  1876,  St.  Paul  was  4,120  orders  ahead  of  Minneapo- 
lis, while  the  advance  was  gradually  reduced  in  1879  to  1,765.  In  1880  Minne- 
apolis made  up  the  advance  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  finished  its  first  series, 
and  was  67  orders  ahead.  During  the  subsequent  year,  1881,  Minneapolis  fin- 
ished the  first  series  of  orders  and  used  to  No.  793  on  the  second  series  of  100,000. 
The  gain  was  continued  at  even  a greater  ratio  during  the  years’82  and  ’83  and 
during  the  nine  and  a half  months  up  to  July  1st,  this  year,  at  which 
date  Minneapolis  had  used  159.110  money  orders,  or  19,454  more  than  St.  Paul. 

The  manner  in  which  the  number  of  orders  issued  at  St.  Paul  is  learned  is 
through  advice  of  orders  drawn  on  the  Minneapolis  P.  0 in  favor  of  beneficiaries 
resident  in  the  city.  St  Paul  is  designated  as  a depositing  office  of  this  State 
where  all  post  masters  of  offices  in  Minnesota  deposit  their  surplus  money 
order  funds,  but  the  business  done  as  such  depository  is  unimportant  and 
while  in  its  report  it  may  make  a more  favorable  showing  in  figures  the  actual 
business  done  is  as  shown  in  the  above  report  of  Domestic  Money  Orders  issued, 
far  behind  that  of  Minneapolis,  It  is  estimated  that  the  orders  here  average 
$13,217,  a fraction  which  represents  an  aggregate  of  nearly  $300,000  in 
excess  of  St.  Paul. 


THE  POSTAL  NOTES. 


On  September  3,  1883,  the  day  on  which  Minneapolis  astonished  the  Vil- 
lard-Northern- Pacific -General  Grant  tourists  with  a most  wonderful  street 
exhil  ition  of  varied  industries  in  competition  with  St.  Paul,  the  postal-note 
system  went  into  effect,  which  provides  for  transmitting  sums  of  money  below 
$5  for  a fee  of  3 cents.  The  system  has  now  been  in  operation  a little  more 
than  two  years.  During  this  period  to  September  14,  1885,  St.  Paul  issued 
13,870  notes,  Minneapolis  18,316.  a difference  in  the  number  of  notes  issued  at 
Minneapolis  in  excess  of  St.  Paul  of  4,246. 


WEALTH,  DEBT  AND  TAXATION 


COMMERCIAL  AGENCY  FIGURES. 


The  Merchantile  Agencies  of  this  country  have  a cold-blooded  way  of  mak- 
ing estimates  and  furnishing  figures  about  business  matters,  for  the  use  of 
business  men,  that  is  not  excelled  in  the  line  of  raw  facts.  For  the  purpose  of 
making  a comparison  that  will  stand  unquestioned  with  business  men,  we  have 
compiled  the  report  of  R.  G.  Dunn  & Co.  for  the  two  cities,  showing  the  judg- 
ment of  that  agency  as  to  the  pecuniary  responsibility  of  the  business  men  in 
each.  These  tables  are  also  verified  by  an  examination  of  Bradstreet’s  reports. 
The  two  tables  follow : 

Minneapolis. 


14  houses,  responsibility  over . 
13 
26 
13 
44 
58 
111 
126 
165 
212 
315 

1235  “ “ average. 


2332 Totals 

Houses  not  rated,  1,179.  Total  houses, ! 

ST.  PAUL 


. . .$1,000,000 

$14,000,000 

. . . 500,000 

6,500,000 

. . . 300,000 

7,800,000 

. . 200,000 

2,600,000 

. . . 125,000 

5,500,000 

75,000 

4,350,000 

40,000 

4,440,000 

20,000 

2,520,000 

10,000 

1,650,000 

5,000 

1,000,000 

2,000 

930,000 

800 

988,000 

10  houses, 

responsibility  over 

$1,000,000 

$10,000,000 

12  “ 

u u 

500,000 

6,000,000 

12  “ 

a (( 

300,000 

3,600,000 

11 

a u 

200,000 

2,200,000 

31  “ 

tt  i( 

125,000 

3, 875, 000 

41 

tt  u 

75,000 

3,075,000 

(36  “ 

i u 

40,000 

2.640,000 

94  “ 

a « 

20,000 

1,880,000 

148  “ 

a u 

10,000 

1,480,000 

158  “ 

a tt 

5,000 

790,000 

259  “ 

tt 

2,000 

518,000 

987  “ 

“ average 

800 

789,600 

1829 

Totals 

$36,847,600 

Houses  not  rated,  772;  total  houses,  2,601. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


25 


From  these  figures,  which  are  the  result  of  careful  compilation,  it  will  be 
seen  that  Minneapolis  has  a list  of  commercial  houses  that  exceeds  the  St. 
Paul  list  910;  and  a pecuniary  responsibility  that  is  $16,290,400  in  excess  of 
that  of  St.  Paul . So  far  as  we  are  aware,  this  is  the  first  compilation  pub- 
lished of  Minneapolis,  but  the  St.  Paul  Chamber  of  Commerce  printed  the  fol- 
lowing table  in  a publication  issued  in  1884,  and  it  was  widely  circulated  under 
credit  of  R.  G.  Dun  & Co.’s  reports : 


5 

houses. 

responsibility 

over 

$1,000,000 

$5,000,000 

6 

750,000 

4,500.000 

17 

500,000 

8,500,000 

33 

300,000 

9,900,000 

51 

li 

“ 

200,000 

10,000,000 

70 

125,000 

8,750,000 

107 

75,000 

8,025,000 

162 

« 

40,000 

6,480,000 

268 

20,000 

5,360,000 

405 

10,000 

4,050,000 

545 

5,000 

2,725,000 

$73,490,000 

Taking  these  figures  to  have  been  accurate  when  published  (and  -who  can 
question  them,  as  they  are  vouched  for  by  the  St  Paul  Chamber  of  Commerce 
as  taken  from  Dun’s  reports),  we  find  that  within  a few  short  months  the 
financial  responsibility  of  St.  Paul  has  decreased  over  fifty  per  cent  But  the 
figures  are  not  accurate,  and  were  never  compiled  from  any  report  of  Dun  & 
Co  Evidently  the  “compiler”  counted  the  concerns  representing  a million  of 
capital,  and  then  graded  off  the  rest  of  his  table  in  beautiful  progression,  trust- 
ing that  nobody  would  ever  take  the  trouble  to  go  over  the  list  to  verify  it. 
It  contains  no  element  of  accuracy,  and  is  padded  to  more  than  twice  the 
amount  possible  for  the  city  to  have  been  possessed  of  at  that  time,  and  it  was 
done  for  the  purpose  of  making  a great  showing  in  the  East  and  South,  where 
the  repoit  (?)  was  circulated  by  hundreds  of  thousands. 


On  the  opposite  page  ( page  24)  line  24,  for  $25,038,000,  read  $52,038,000  ; 
the  first  two  figures  having  dropped  out  and  been  transposed  in  replacing 
them  in  the  form  while  the  press  work  was  being  done. 


COMPILER. 


26 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


BANKS  AND  BANKING. 


The  following  compilation  is  one  that  breaks  the  monotony  of  the  com- 
parisons between  the  two  cities,  and  it  is  made  full  and  complete  that  the 
glory  redounding  to  St.  Paul  so  far  as  it  redounds  may  not  be  in  any 
measure  diminished  We  might  show  how  Minneapolis  is  rapidly 
overtaking  her  neighbor  in  this  one  matter,  and  how  short  will 
be  the  time  before  the  statement  will  be  reversed;  we  might 
call  attention  to  how  close  present  deposits  are  to  those  of 
the  “financial  center  of  the  North  west,’’  which  has  ‘‘more  banking  capital  than 
all  the  rest  of  Minnesota  combined,”  but  we  refrain  and  leave  all  the  glory  of 
the  appended  tables  to  our  sister,  simply  saying  that  the  showing  made  is  very 
gratifying  to  Minneapolis,  The  statements  are  of  date  of  July  1,  1885. 

BANKS  UNDER  STATE  LAW, 


MINNEAPOLIS. 


NAME. 

CAPITAL. 

SURPLUS. 

DEPOSITS. 

Bank  of  Minneapolis 

Citizen’s  Bank 

$100,000 

100,000 

800,000 

100,000 

60,000 

1,000,000 

$10,000 

$ 310,659.14 
167,533.15 
560,862.07 
267,682.12 
226,808.29 
2,581,604.16 

City  Bank 

Commercial  Bank 

Scandia  Bank 

Security  Bank 

Totals 

9,000 

250,000 

$1,660,000 

$269,000 

$4,115,148.93 

ST.  PAUL. 


NAME. 

CAPITAL. 

SURPLUS. 

DEPOSITS . 

Bank  of  Minnesota 

Capital  Bank 

German  American  Bank 

Germania 

$600,000 

100,000 

25,000 

300.000 

100.000 

$40,000 

30,000 

In  Liquidation 

$1,828,031.21 

212,468.16 

220.00 

290,600.52 

104,952.38 

People’s  Bank 

Totals 

$1,125,000 

$70,000 

$2,436,272.27 

MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


27 


MINNEAPOLIS  SAYINGS  BANKS. 


Name. 

Deposits. 

Undivided 

Profits. 

Farmers’  and  Mechanics’ 

$2,025,793  25 
733,709  88 

$71,559  33 

Hennepin  County 

20,007  49 

Totals 

$2,759,503  13 

$91,566  82 

In  addition  the  Hennepin  County  Bank  has  a capital  of  $100,000  and  a 


surplus  of  $25,000. 

ST.  PAUL  SAYINGS  BANKS. 


Name. 

Deposits. 

Undivided 

Profits. 

Savings  Bank  of  St.  Paul 

$309,759  25 

$18,093  67 

In  addition,  this  bank  has  a capital  of  $50,000  and  a surplus  of  $10,000. 


NATIONAL  BANKS  OF  MINNEAPOLIS. 


Name. 

Capital. 

Surplus. 

Undivided 

Profits. 

Deposits. 

Nat’l  Bank  of  Commerce. . 
Nicollet  National. . . . 

400.000 

500.000 

500.000 

600.000 
1,000,000 

$10,000 

5,000 

25,000 

125.000 

100.000 

$6,587  63 
2,492  74 
2,367  22 
48,001  66 
47,282  29 

$309,981  56 
424,887  14 
477,187  74 
2,442,749  29 
1,508,501  26 

Union  National 

First  National 

Northwestern  National. . . 

$3,000,000 

$265,000 

$106,731  54 

$5,163,306  99 

NATIONAL  BANKS  OF  ST.  PAUL. 


Name. 

Capital. 

Surplus. 

Undivided 

Profits. 

Deposits. 

First  National. . 

$1,000,000 

200,000 

500,000 

2,000,000 

1,000,000 

500,000 

$500,000 

55.000 
4,500 

33.000 
400,000 

8,000 

$40,958  58 
225,289  47 
19,533  80 
5,938  16 
48,265  81 
20,170  56 

$4,406,578  88 
967,232  39 
202,626  78 
2,025,594  08 
3,152,781  81 
290,916  15 

Second  National 

Third  National 

Nat’l  German  American.. 

Merchants’  National 

St.  Paul  National. . . . 

$5,200,000 

$1,000,500 

$360,156  38 

$11,045,730.09 

In  addition  to  these  banks  the  Minnesota  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  of 
Minneapolis,  had  on  deposit  with  the  state  auditor,  September  12,  ls85,  a guar- 
antee iund  of  $102,400,  and  the  Saint  Paul  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  of  Saint 
Paul,  had  a deposit  with  the  same  officer, at  the  same  date,  of  $104,500.  Count- 
ing the  guarantee  funds,  this  makes  the  total  capital  of  the  Minneapolis  banks, 
authorized  by  law,  $4,862,400,  and  that  of  Saint  Paul  $6,479,500 — a difference 
of  $1,617,100  in  favor  of  Saint  Paul.  Surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  Minne- 


28 


A TALE  of  two  cities. 


apilis  banks  aggregated  $757,297.54,  and  that  of  St.  Paul,  $1,448,750.05;  in 
favor  of  St.  Paul,  $716,437.51.  In  amount  of  deposits  Minneanolis  banks 
have  $11,570,346.84,  and  St.  Paul  $13,781,761.61,  a difference  in  favor  of  St. 
Pad  of  $2,211,414.57.  In  the  matter  of  savings  deposits  Minneapolis  exceeds 
St.  Paul  $2,449,743.88,  showing  that  the  laboring  men  and  women  of  the  for- 
mer city  are  given  to  thrift.  The  savings  deposits  are  rapidly  growing  in  Min- 
neapolis, the  Farmers’  and  Mechanics’  Bank  deposits  having  increased  from 
July  1st  to  September  1st,  of  this  year,  from  $2,025,793.25  to  $2,118,329.41. 


STATEMENT  OF  CLEARING  HOUSE. 


The  clearing  house  figures  in  Minneapolis  far  exceed  those  in  St.  Paul, 
and  the  difference  in  the  volume  of  transactions  is  so  marked  that  St.  Paul 
declines  io  furnish  the  figures  for  publication  along  with  Minneapolis,  Chicago, 
New  York  and  Boston,  and  the  other  really  great  cities  of  the  country.  The 
figures  for  Minneapolis  were  as  follows  last  year: 


•T  auuary  . . 
February  . 
March .... 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August  . . . 
September 


$6,782,022.26 
6,525,853.98 
7,639,509.91 
8,521,435  60 
8,882,135.68 
8,878,303.46 
8,104,676.09 
8,861,105.49 
9,856,558.58 


October $14,610,959.94 

November 11,600,148.14 

December 10,291,935.42 


Total  for  1884 110,556,619.73 

Total  for  1883 87,568,000.00 


Gain  of  1884  over  1883.  22,988,619.73 
Gain  of  1883  over  1882 . 24,318,000,00 


It  is  estimated  that  the  figures  for  the  clearing  house  for  1885  wdl  show  an 
increase  of  thirty  per  cent,  over  1884. 


DISCRIMINATIONS. 

The  banking  business  in  St.  Paul  enjoys  the  benefit  of  discriminations  to 
a degree  that  if  they  were  withdrawn  they  would  present  a sorry  showing  as 
compared  with  Minneapolis.  Under  an  old  State  law,  framed  when  St.  Paul 
dominated  the  whole  State  and  hanking  was  weak  in  the  interior  towns,  and 
before  Minneapolis  had  a beginning,  the  deposits  of  the  State  treasury  are  re- 
quired to  be  kept  in  the  St.  Paul  banks.  The  State  is  a good  customer  and 
never  borrows  money ; so  these  funds  are  always  available  to  swell  the  figures 
of  her  banking  business,  and  to  loan  at  short  interest  rates  to  her  business  men. 
The  same  is  true  of  government  deposits  for  public  works  on  rivers  and  harbors, 
the  Military  Department  of  Dakota,  the  land  and  Indian  business,  the  cus- 
toms service  and  so  on.  There  is  no  reason  whatever  why  Minneapolis, 
Stillwater  and  Duluth  and  other  cities  should  not  have  a share  in  these 
deposits,  and  the  advantages  they  bring,  but  what  a wail  of  anguish  would  rise 
if  a fair  effort  were  made  to  divide  up  these  plums! 

This  spirit  of  discrimination  is  shown  in  many  other  wrays.  The  drummers 
of  St.  Paul  are  in  our  business  houses  every  day  and  receive  a liberal  share  of  the 
purchases  made  here.  That  this  business  is  not  reciprocated  is  notorious.  The  St. 
Paul  newspapers  are  liberally  subscribed  for  in  Minneapolis  and  our  business  men 
occupy  a large  share  in  their  advertising  columns.  But  it  is  a well  understood 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


29 


fact  in  both  cities  that  the  St.  Paul  business  men  persistently  ignore  the  Min- 
neupoiis.  newspapers,  both  as  to  subscription  and  advertising.  Further  than 
this  it  has  been  the  settled  policy  for  many  years  to  discriminate  against  all 
Minneapolis  newspapers  on  all  railway  trains  running  out  of  St.  Paul,  and  this 
policy  continues  to  a large  extent.  Notwithstanding  these  facts  the  subscription 
lists  of  the  Minneapolis  papers  compare  favorably  with  those  of  St.  Paul.  They 
have  equal  news  facilities;  equally  able  writers,  and  print  papers  as  large  and  as 
well  edited,  and  which  exercise  an  equal  influence  over  the  people  of  Minnesota 
and  the  Northwest. 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


30 


BONDED  DEBT. 


In  the  matter  of  indebtedness  Minneapolis  is  compelled  to  yield  the  palm 
to  Saint  Paul,  as  the  latter  city  lias  a debt  statement  $516,140.71  excess.  The 
following  tables  show  the  debts  in  detail,  as  stated  by  the  comptroller  of  each 
city: 

BONDED  DEBT  OF  MINNEAPOLIS. 


Date. 

Issued  for— 

Oct.  1,  1870.  Falls  improvement 

Oct.  5,  1870.  Falls  improvement 

July  1,  1872.  Falls  improvement 

July  1,  1872.  Falls  improvement 

July  1,  1872.  Falls  improvement 

May  1,  1874.  Fire  department,  E.  D — 

July  1,  1872.  Falls  improvement 

July  1.  1872.  Falls  improvement 

Feb.  1,  187. . Water-works 

Dec.  2,  1872.  Bridges 

April  1,  1881.  Schools 

Feb.  2,  1874.  Bridges 

Feb.  2,  1874.  City  Hall 

July  1,  1871.  Sewers 

Sep.  1,  1877.  Railroads 

Nov.  15,  1877.  Railroads 


Feb. 

July 

July 

Nov. 

July 

July 

July 

May 

July 

July 


2,  1874. 
1,  187y. 
1,  1870. 
1,  1871. 
1,  1872. 
1,  1872. 
1,  1872. 
1,  1-75. 
1,  1881. 
1,  1881 . 


April  1,  188: 
April  2,  1-83. 
July  2,  1883. 
Mar.  15,  1-81. 
Mar.  15,  1884. 
J une  30,  1883 . 
Jan.  1,  1884. 
July  1,  1884. 
July  1,  1871. 
Aug.  1,  1873. 
July  30,  1872. 
Aug.  1,  1873. 
Aug.  15,  1872. 

Aug.  26,  1872. 
Sep.  24,  1872. 
Nov.  1,  1872. 


Water-works 

Schools 

Water-works  and  sewers  .. 

Railroads 

Water-works 

Sewers 

General  purposes 

Bridges 

Sewers 

Permanent  improvements . 
Permanent  improvements . 
Permanent  i in  pro  vements . 
Permanent  improvements . 
Permanent  improvements . 
Permanent  improvements. 

Parks 

Parks 

Parks  

Schools— west  di  vision 

Schools— west  division 

Schools— east  division  . . j 

Schools— west  division 

Schools — east  division 


Schools— east  division 

Schools -east  division 
Schools— east  division 


Numbers. 

Each 

Bond. 

Total. 

Rate. 

When  due. 

91— 

120 

$500 

$15,000 

10 

Oct.  1,  1885 

31- 

40 

500 

5,000 

10 

Oct.  5,  1885 

260— 

289 

500 

15,000 

8 

J illy  1,  1886 

230- 

258 

500 

14,500 

8 

July  1,  1887 

200- 

229 

500 

15,000 

8 

•July  1,  1888 

41— 

64 

500 

12,000 

8 

May  1,  1889 

170- 

199 

500 

15,000 

8 

July  1,  1889 

121— 

169 

500 

24,500 

8 

July  1,  1890 

1— 

110 

500 

55,000 

8 

Feby.  1,  1891 

1- 

250 

1,000 

250,000 

8 

Dec.  2,  1892 

491— 

512 

1,000 

22,000 

5 

April  1,  1893 

251— 

270 

1,000 

20,1X10 

8 

Feby.  2,1894 

1— 

100 

500 

50,000 

8 

Feby.  2,  1894 

1— 

25 

1,000 

25,000 

7 

July  1,  1896 

251- 

281 

1,000 

31, 000 

7 

Sept.  1,  1897 

282— 

351— 

350 

400 

1,000 

500 

94,000 

7 

Nov.  15,  1897 

151— 

270 

500 

60,000 

8 

Feby.  2,  1899 

451 — 

490 

1,000 

40,000 

6 

July  1,  1899 

i— 

80 

500 

40,000 

8 

July  1,  1900 

i— 

250 

500 

125,000 

7 

Nov.  1,  1901 

in- 

150 

1,000 

40,i  00 

7 

July  1,  1902 

26- 

50 

1,000 

25,000 

7 

July  1,  1902 

1- 

20 

1,000 

20,01X1 

7 

July  1,  1902 

271- 

320 

1,000 

50,000 

8 

May  1,  1905 

514— 

563 

1,000 

50,000 

m 

July  1,  1906 

564— 

603 

1,000 

40,000 

iLA 

•1  uly  1,  1908 

604— 

969 

1,000 

366,000 

4% 

*April  1,  1912 

970- 

.103 

1,000 

134,000 

414 

April  2,  1913 

1104- 

.428 

1,000 

325,000 

m 

J uly  2,  1913 

1429— 

.503 

1,000 

75,000 

4 Vi 

Mar.  15,  1914 

1504- 

.555 

1,000 

52.000 

414 

Mar.  15,  1914 

1— 

200 

1,000 

200,000 

414 

July  1,  1913 

200- 

300 

1,000 

100,000 

414 

Jan.  1,  1914 

301— 

32 

1,000 

25,000 

414 

•J  uly  1,  1914 

1— 

7 

1,000 

7,000 

8 

July  1,  1891 

1— 

6 

1,000 

6,000 

8 

Aug.  1,  1891 

82 

83 

1,000 

500 

| 1,500 

10 

July  30,  1892 

1- 

6 

1,000 

6,000 

8 

Aug.  1,  1892 

84 

200 

85 

300 

| 1,500 

10 

Aug.  15,  1892 

86 

1,000 

87 

88 

1,000 

500 

£ 1,500 

10 

Aug.  26,  1892 

89 

-90 

91 

1,000 

500 

| 2,500 

10 

Sept.  24,  1892 

92 

-96 

1,000 

5,000 

10 

Nov.  1.  1892 

2.461.000 

..  1 

* Or  any  time  after  April  1, 1902,  at  option  of  city. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


31 


BONDED  DEBT  OE  ST.  PAUL. 


32 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


These  figure’s  are  official  from  comptroller’s  report  in  each  city,  of  date  of 
April  30  and  March  31  respectively.  They  show  that  the  bonded  debt  of  St. 
Paul  is  27.17  per  capita,  and  that  of  Minneapolis  $19.05  per  capita,  a margin 
of  $8.12  per  capita  in  favor  of  Minneapolis.  Since  the  above  dates,  Minneapolis 
has  sold  $400,000  in  four  and  a half  per  cent,  bonds  at  a premium  of  three  per 
cent.,  and  St.  Paul  has  sold  $800,000  of  five  per  cent,  bonds  at  a premium  of 
7.15  per  cent.,  a difference  in  negotiation  of  3.85  per  cent,  of  premium  in  favor 
of  the  Minneapolis  bond,  as  1.03  for  a 4J4  per  cent,  bond  is  exuivalent  to  1.11 
for  a 5 per  cent,  bond  running  thirty  years.  These  late  sales  may  be  taken  as 
fairly  indicative  of  the  relative  financial  standing  of  cbe  two  cities,  and  it 
shows  both  to  be  very  high  with  a small  percentage  in  favor  of  Minneapolis, 
with  much  the  larger  population  and  much  the  smaller  debt. 

Hennepin  county  has  no  bonded  debt.  Ramsey  county  has  a bonded  debt 
of  $240,000. 

No  debt  can  be  created  or  bonds  issued  by  the  city  of  Minneapolis  to  a 
greater  amount  than  five  per  cent,  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  city,  and  the 
chatter  prohibits  the  creation  of  a floating  debt.  There  is  no  limit  to  the 
bonded  debt  of  St.  Paul. 

To  the  bonded  debt  statement  of  St.  Paul  should  be  added  $240,000  of 
Ramsey  county  bonds  and  $300,000  of  “City  and  County”  bonds  sold  last  spring 
for  building  a new  court  house  and  city  hall,  which  are  really  chargeable  almost, 
entirely  to  the  city,  as  Ramsey  county  outside  of  St.  Paul  has  but  a few  rural 
townships,  whose  proportion  of  the  county  tax  is  insignificant;  also  $800,000 
bonds  for  water  works  extension,  sewers,  and  the  new  bridge  across  the  river  at 
Robert  sfreet;  also  an  outstanding  issue  of  about  $300,000  of  school  bonds. 
Besides  all  the  above,  which  should  really  be  added  to  the  bonded  indebtedness 
of  St.  Paul,  the  city  assumed  a mortgage  of  $160,000  due  by  the  old  water  works 
company,  on  which  interest  must  be  annually  paid  until  maturity,  when  the 
mortgage  must  be  paid. 

From  the  above  it  may  be  figured  that  the  bonded  debt  of  St.  Paul,  when  it 
is  all  included,  is  nearly  double  that  of  Minneapolis.  On  the  English  theory, 
that  a national  debt  is  a national  blessing,  the  debt  of  St.  Paul  is  a good  thing 
to  have  in  the  family;  but  on  the  New  England  pay-as-you-go  theory,  that  a 
municipal  debt  is  a burden  to  the  tax-payer,  the  interest  of  which  is  to  be  reg- 
ularly paid,  and  the  principal  at  maturity,  the  proportions  of  the  municipal  debt 
of  St.  Paul  must  be  annoying  when  new  loans  are  to  be  negotiated. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMP  ABED. 


33 


THE  ASSESSMENT  AND  TAX  LEVY. 


When  we  take  the  assessment  of  the  two  cities  as  a criterion  of  size  and 
business,  we  again  find  that  the  figures  are  against  all  of  the  St.  Paul  claims  to 
equality,  and  that  Minneapolis  takes  the  lead  in  nearly  every  item.  The  fol- 
lowing table  shows  part  of  the  detail  items,  in  numbers  and  values,  and  are 
from  the  figures  equalized  by  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  of  the  personal 
property  assessment  of  1885 : 


Horses,  mules  and  asses 

Cows 

Wagons  and  carriages. 

Sewing  machines 

Watches  and  clocks .... 
Melodeons  and  organs . . 
Pianos 


Household  furniture 

Gold  and  silver  plate  and  plated  ware 

Diamonds  and  jewelry 

Steamboats,  sailing  vessels,  etc 

Goods  and  merchandise 

Manufacturers’  materials  and  manufactured 

articles 

Moneys 

Credits 

Bank  Stock 

Stock  and  furniture  of  sample  rooms 

Total  personal  assessment  of  Minneapolis .... 

Total  personal  assessment  of  St.  Paul 

Difference — Minneapolis  in  excess  of  St.  Paul 


Minneapolis. 

No. 

7,686 

1,987 

7,031 

4,609 

5,553 

942 

1,945 

VALUE. 

$1,491,137 

27,885 

38,020 

10,657 

3,054,554 

1,940,132 

391,485 

1,901,229 

4,690,300 

137,900 


St.  Paul. 
No. 
4,226 
1,975 
3,396 
1,818 
3,093 
243 
1,089 

VALUE. 

$1,344,879 

32,776 

44,341 

4,765 

3,367,850 

287,198 

278,397 

1,734,035 

4,944,050 

142,345 

$15,990,316 

14,290,946 

1,699,370 


PERSONAL  ASSESSMENTS  FOR  THREE  YEARS. 


Year. 

1883. 

1884. 

1885. 


Minneapolis. 

$15,057,876 

15,346,034 

15,990,316 


St.  Paul. 
$11,954,518 
13,883,428 
14,290,946 


In  the  real  estate  assessment,  the  difference  is  more  marked.  The  follow- 
ing table  shows: 


REAL  ESTATE  ASSESSMENTS  FOR  THREE  YEARS. 


Year.  Minneapolis.  ' St.  Paul. 

1883  $44,544,715  $31,623,373 

1884  60,209,343  46,579,735 

1885  62.715,983  48,612,515 


3 


-34 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


TOTAL  ASSESSMENTS  FOR  1885. 


Minneapolis,  real  and  personal $78,706,299 

St.  Paul,  “ “ “ . . . ._ 62,903,461 

Minneapolis  over  St.  Paul $15,602,838 


In  selecting  items  we  find  that  the  hank  stock  of  St.  Paul  is  only  assessed  at 
$53,750  in  excess  of  Minneapolis,  while  in  money  and  credits  St.  Paul  falls 
$113,088  behind  Minneapolis.  The  assessment  of  manufactured  articles  in 
Minneapolis  is  over  seven  times  as  large  as  in  St.  Paul,  while  it  is  only  about 
$313,000  behind  that  city  in  goods  and  merchandise.  The  detail  tables  will 
repay  careful  perusal ; and  the  totals  speak  i'or  themselves. 


TAX  LEYY  OF  1885— MINNEAPOLIS. 


CO 

CO 

A 

'S 

REMARKS. 

n 

1 

50 

1 

50 

1 

4 Board  of  Education. . 

3 

20 

5 Interest  Fund 

2 

■t;  Sinking  Fund 

i 

Regular  annual  levy,  as  required  by  City  Charter. 

I General  Fund 

4 

90 

% Park  Fund 

40 

30 

10  Permanent  Improve- 

( For  city’s  proportion  of  cost  of  sewers,  pavements  and 
j curbing,  and  for  buildings  for  fire  and  police  depart- 
( ments,  and  miscellaneous  improvements. 

ment  Fund 

2 

20 

1 

1 

4th,  5th 80 

1st,  2d,  3d,  6th, 

!-For  grading  and  cleaning  streets,  laying  cross-walks, 

7th,  8th 2.00 

1 &c. 

Average  ward 

1 

30 

J 

Total 

19 

30 

Assessed  valuation, 

$77,500,000 

About  one-half  of  the  total  cost  of  constructing  sewers  is 
paid  out  of  the  Permanent  Improvement  Fund,  and 

TOTAL  LEVY. 

the  balance  is  assessed  upon  abutting  property,  at  an 

On  $45,188,000 

18 

80 

equal  rate  per  front  foot. 

On  82,342,000 

20 

For  paving  a street,  each  abutting  lot  is  assessed  for  the 

actual  cost  of  the  work  done  opposite  its  front  and  to 

19 

30 

the  center  of  the  street.  The  cost  of  paving  street  in- 
tersections is  paid  from  the  Permanent  lmp’t  Fund. 

The  average  rate  of  taxation  for  the  ensuing  year  in  Minneapolis  is  19.30 
mills;  in  St.  Paul  it  is  19  mills,  and  would  have  been  19.97  mills,  if  an 
amount  had  been  levied  sufficient  to  meet  the  bonds  falling  due  this  year. 
A glance  at  the  above  table  shows  that  there  is  a wide  difference  in  the  cost 
of  running  the  municipal  governments  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  Under 
the  head  “ general  fund  ”,  Minneapolis  levies  4.90  mills,  St.  Paul  7.70  mills. 
The  “general  fund”,  as  is  well  understood,  covers  the  expense  of  running 
ifcke  police  and  fire  departments,  printing  and  advertising,  salaries,  election 
expenses,  and  incidentals  generally. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


35 


TAX  LEVY  OF  1885— ST.  PAUL. 


REMARKS . 


1 State  

2 County 

3 General  School 

1 Board  of  Education . . 
•5  Interest  Fund 


1 

2 

1 

3 

1 


50 

70 


’so’ 

90 


-6  Sinking  Fund 


L 


In  addition  to  $71,500 — interest  on  bonds  issued  for 
water  works — which  is  paid  from  water  revenue. 
Equal  to  1 11-100  mills. 

No  levy, 

St.  Paul  has  no  Sinking  Fund  on  hand,  and  is  consid- 
ering the  feasibility  of  “funding”  or  renewing  the 
bonds  due  next  year,  amounting  to  $62,540.* 


7 General  Fund 70 

8 Park  Fund 

9 Library  Fund 

10  Per.  Improveme’tF’d 


11  Wards. 


90 


No  separate  levy — $ 6,000  included  in  General  Fund  levy. 

“ “ “ — 10,000  . “ 

“ “ “ — 30,000  “ “ 

( For  cleaning  streets  and  sewers  and  laying  cross-walks, 
■j  The  cost  of  grading  streets  is  assessed  on  property 
( “benefited.” 


Total 


19 


Assessed  valuation, 

$64,500.000 


Total  cost  of  sewers  and  pavements  is  assessed  on  prop- 
erty  abutting  or  benefited . 


*This  transaction  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a renewal  of  the  paper  of  the 
city,  an  extension  to  avoid  levying  a tax  this  year  to  pay  the  matured  debt. 
It  reminds  us  of  the  famed  financial  policy  of  Mr.  Wilkins  Micawber.  who 
when  he  had  taken  up  an  old  note  and  substituted  a new  one  exclaimed  exu- 
berantly, “Thank  God,  that  debt  is  paid  ! ” 

The  city  charter  of  Minneapolis  requires  “ an  annual  levy  of  one  mill  on  the 
■dollar  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  all  the  taxable  property”  for  a sinking  fund 
to  provide  for  the  payment  of  city  bonds  as  they  become  due.  This  fund  now 
-amounts  to  $ 75,000,  and  a'l  matured  bonds  have  been  paid. 


36 


A TALE  OE  TWO  CITIES. 


MANUFACTURES. 


When  we  come  to  discuss  the  manufacturing  facilities  already  in  place,  and 
the  resources  for  more  in  Minneapolis,  we  touch  the  real  source  of  wealth  and 
growth  of  both  cities.  The  water  power  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  at  Min- 
neapolis, is  the  basis  both  of  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  interests  of 
Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  Without  it  Minneapolis  could  not  sustain  her  posi- 
tion as  one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  cities  in  the  United  States? 
and  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  could  not  maintain  their  position  in  the  whole- 
sale trade  as  against  Chicago,  New  York,  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  an  instant. 
The  amount  of  merchandise  distributed  by  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  together 
would  not  give  these  cities  the  influence  in  railway  pools,  the  command  of 
“through  rates  for  the  long  haul.”  which  they  now  unquestionably  enjoy,  were 
it  not  for  the  amount  of  freight  furnished  the  railroads  by  Minneapolis  from 
her  lumber  and  flouring  mills. 

We  reiterate  to  make  plain  the  tact  that  the  wholesale  trade  could  be  easily 
supplied  from  other  points  by  railroad  systems  which  might  practically  ignore 
St.  Paul,  if  it  were  not,  for  the  milling  interests  of  Minneapolis.  It  has  been 
repeatedly  demonstrated  that  the  shippers  of  St.  Paul  have  failed  to  secure  low 
enough  rates  to  enable  them  to  compete  with  Chicago  until  th  e millers  of 
Minneapolis  united  with  them  in  their  demands,  and  with  their  offerings  of 
millions  of  tons  of  return  freight  were  in  a position  to  dictate  terms. 

The  manufactures  of  Minneapolis  are  by  no  means  confined  to  flour  and 
lumber.  There  is  a very  extended  list  of  other  commodities,  the  fabrication  of 
which  are  at  home  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and  drawing  force  to  turn  their 
myriads  of  wheels  from  its  water  power.  The  vast  iron  foundries  and  machine 
shops,  car  wheel  and  agricultural  implement  factories,  woolen  and  blanket 
mills,  paper  mills,  planing  and  sash,  door  and  blind  mills,  oil  mills  and  paint 
works,  boot  and  shoe  and  clothing  factories,  and  an  endless  variety  of  other 
goods  are  turned  out  to  swell  the  grand  total  of  the  manufacturing  industries 
of  Minneapolis.  Ten  thousand  men  support  themselves  and  families  in  the 
various  departments  of  manufacture,  two  thousand  in  iron  and  steel  alone,  ex- 
clusive of  railroad  work*  with  an  annual  product  in  these  classes  alone  of 
$3,500,000.  The  following  table  shows  the  amount  of  manufactures  other  than 
wheat  and  flour  for  the  last  nine  years : 


1876  $3,776,000 

1877  4,802,000 

1878  5,696,000 

1879  8,155,000 

1880  10,333,000 


1881  $14,872,000 

1882  16,727,000 

1883  24,002,000 

1884  25,627,000 


Minneapolis  is  the  natural  home  for  manufactures  of  every  sort.  There  is 
no  other  place  iu  the  West  with  which  it  may  be  compared  in  this  respect. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


37 


PADDING  ST.  PAUL  MANUFACTURES. 


It  is  a well  understood  fact  that  the  whole  jobbing  trade  of  the  Northwest 
might  be  thrown  into  a single  city,  and  it  would  not  give  employment  to  as 
many  men  as  are  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Minneapolis.  The  statisti- 
cians of  St.  Paul  realize  the  importance  of  a fact  like  this,  and  have,  therefore, 
ever  striven  to  swell  the  aggregate  of  manufactures  of  St.  Paul  to  equal  those  of 
Minneapolis.  For  example,  in  the  report  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  1884, 
the  value  of  the  product  manufactures  of  all  kinds  is  set  down  at  over  $26,000,000. 
Some  of  the  items  making  up  this  startling  total  will  repay  examination.  Five 
millions  is  the  amount  of  the  product  of  Contractors  and  Builders  m St.  Paul. 
Contractors  and  builders  of  houses  have  not  usually  been  classified  as  manufac- 
turers in  any  other  city  in  the  country,  and  the  houses  they  construct  are  never 
classed  as  manufactures.  Four  thousand  one  hundred  and  eleven  men  are 
claimed  to  be  employedjin  this  branch  of  manufactures!  Another  item  of  marble 
and  stone-cutting  $800,000,  is  also  called  manufactures.  The  marble  and  stone- 
cutting in  St.  Paul  is  all  included,  without  a doubt,  in  the  construction  of  houses. 
“Contractors  and  builders,”  as  “manufacturers,”  cover  it,  except  the  amount 
which  goes  to  make  up  the  manufacture  of  grave-stones  in  St.  Paul.  It  cannot 
be  that  $800,000  worth  of  grave-stones  are  consumed  annually  by  the  citizens  of 
St.  Paul.  It  is  not  borne  out  by  the  mortality  reports.  The  manufacturers  of 
tin  and  hardware,  stoves  and  plumbing  are  set  down  at  over  half  a million,  and 
this  is  also  largely  included  in  the  “contractors’  aud  builders’  manufactures.” 
Painting  and  glazing,  $290,000,  are  included  in  the  same;  and  all  these  items 
and  many  others  of  smaller  importance  ought  to  be  thrown  out  when  compared 
with  the  manufactures  of  Minneapolis,  for  the  simple  reason  that  they  are  not 
properly  classified  as  manufactures,  and  for  the  other  reason  that  they  are  all 
included  in  the  footings  of  building  statistics,  and  ought  not  to  be  duplicated. 

But  the  statistician  of  St.  Paul  is  nothing  if  not  a duplicator.  In  his  reports 
of  freight  received  and  shipped  at  St.  Paul,  he  includes  without  a blush  all  the 
lumber  shipped  through  St.  Paul  from  points  beyond  to  Minneapolis,  and  which 
stops  only  iong  enough  in  St.  Paul  to  have  the  car  numbers  taken.  As  a further 
duplication,  he  counts  into  the  St.  Paul  volume  of  business  all  the  lumber  and 
kindred  commodities  manufactured  in  Minneapolis  and  shipped  through  St.  Paul. 
This  stuff  appears  in  his  reports  first,  as  receipts  and  shipments  to  St.  Paul;  and 
again  as  manufactures  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  third  time,  as  “manufactures”  of  the 
•contractors  and  builders! 

But  when  the  inquirer  after  the  truth  comes  to  look  the  territory  over  he 
fails  to  find,  on  the  soil  and  territory  of  St.  Paul,  the  factories  which  turn  out  this 
product  so  duplicated,  and  the  men  who  furnish  the  brawn  and  muscle. 

The  difficulty  in  reaching  a comparative  statement  of  the  manufactures  of  St. 
Paul  and  Minneapolis  is  therefore  quite  apparent.  Manufactures  St.  Paul 
doubtless  has  (the  correct  data  of  which  are  never  collected),  and  they  are  im- 
portant; but  how  futile  and  foolish  the  effort  to  make  Sfc.  Paul  appear  as  in  any 


38 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


sense  a manufacturing  city;  and  how  unfair  and  hoggish  the  propensity  contin- 
ually manifested,  to  claim  the  manufactures  of  Minneapolis  as  St.  Paul’s  as  is  so 
unblushingly  done  in  the  frequently  published  reports  of  her  ‘statistics”  of  vari- 
ous kinds  Let  every  tub  stand  on  its  own  bottom. 

It  is  a fair  statement  to  make  of  the  manufactures  of  St.  Paul,  that  they  do 
not  exceed  ten  millions  per  annum,  with  the  number  of  employes  at  about  6,000, 
including  those  engaged  in  railway  shops.  This  is  a fine  showing  for  St.  Paul, 
and  it  is  enough.  It  cannot  be  fairly  shown  to  be  more. 


THE  FLOURING  MILLS  OF  MINNEAPOLIS 


It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  enlarge  upon  the  mammoth  proportions  of  the  flour 
manufacturing  business  of  Minneapolis  other  than  to  present  the  outlines  of  the 
astonishing  figures.  The  colossal  buildings,  the  perfection  of  machinery,  the 
superiority  of  the  product  are  world-famed. 

MILLING  CAPACITY  "OF  MINNEAPOLIS. 


As  informer  seasons  Minneapolis  for  the  crop  year  just  closed  has  shown  a. 
considerable  gain  in  milling  capacity.  Aside  from  the  completion  of  the  Pills- 
bury B,  no  new  mills  have  been  added  to  the  list,  but  there  are  a number  of  in- 
stances where  the  mills  have  had  their  capacity  augmented  several  hundred 
barrels  by  the  addition  of  machinery.  Notably  among  the  latter  are  the  Hum- 
boldt and  Palisade  mills.  The  Pillsbury  B now  starts  up  for  the  first  time  for 
regular  work,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  it  can  very  readily  turn  out  2,000 
barrels  daily.  The  Pillsbury  A continues  the  wonder  of  the  Falls.  When  about 
a year  ago  it  made  6,000  barrels  of  flour,  the  belief  prevailed  that  it  had  done  its 
maximum  work.  But  this  seems  to  have  been  without  justification,  as  for  the 
week  ending  Sept.  12,  it  manufactured  40,050  barrels  of  flour,  on  two  separate 
days  turning  out  7,000  barrels! 

Below  will  be  found  the  mills,  with  their  capacity  in  detail: 

1884.  1885. ' 

NAME  OF  MILL.  OPERATED  BY  BARRELS. 


* Anchor C.  A.  Pillsbury  & Co 

Cataract D.  R.  Barber  & Son 

Columbia Columbia  Mill  Co 

Crown  Roller Christian  Bros.  & Co 

Dakota H.  F.  Brown  & Co 

Excelsior D.  Morrison 

Galaxy Cahill,  Fletcher  & Co 

Holly A.  W.  Krech 

Humboldt Hinkle,  Greenleaf  & Co 

Minneapolis Crocker,  Fisk  & Co 

jNational W.  Clark  & Co 

Northwestern Sidle,  Fletcher,  Holmes  & Co 


1,250 

1,300 

575 

575 

1,200 

1,200 

1,900 

1,900 

310 

310 

800 

800 

900 

900 

275 

300 

800 

1,000 

800 

1,000 

100 

100 

1,500 

1,500 

MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPABED. 


39 


NAME  OF  MILL.  OPEEATED  BY 

*Palisade Washburn  Mill  Co 

*Pettit J.  A.  Christian  & Co 

Pillsbury  B C.  A.  Pillsbury  & Co 

St.  Anthony Morse  & Sammis 

Standard D.  Morrison  & Co 

Union Morse  & Sammis 

*Washburn  A Washburn,  Crosby  & Co 

Washburn  B “ “ “ 

* Washburn  C “ “ “ 

Zenith Sidle,  Fletcher,  Holmes  & Co 

*Pillsbury  A C.  A.  Pillsbury  & Co 

Phoenix Stamwitz  & Schober 


1884. 

1885. 

BARBERS. 

1,500 

1,800 

1,300 

1,300 

2,000 

Too 

500 

1,500 

1,500 

300 

300 

3,500 

3,600 

1,000 

1,000 

2,000 

2,200 

800 

800 

6,200 

7,000 

275 

275 

Total  capacity 


29,335  33,160 


OUTSIDE  MILLS  CONTEOLLED  IN  MINNEAPOLIS. 
MILL.  OPEEATED  BY 

Lincoln,  Anoka Washburn  Mill  Co 

Townshend  (2)  Stillwater. . . .Florence  Mill  Co 

Stillwater,  Stillwater “ “ “ 

Minnetonka,  Minnetonka. ..  .Jos.  G.  Dawee 


CAP.  BBLS. 

1885. 

500 

....  550 

500 

500 


Total 2,050 

Grand  total 35,210 


*Water  and  steam  power.  tSteani  power. 


ELEVATOR  CAPACITY  OF  MINNEAPOLIS. 


There  hare  been  three  new  elevators  erected  in  the  city  during  the  year,  and 
the  gain  in  capacity  has  been  2,200,000  bushels.  One,  the  Union,  haa  a capacity 
of  2,000,000  bushels,  and  besides  being  the  most  perfectly  equipped,  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  elevator  in  the  world.  This  gives  Minneapolis  eleven  individual 
houses,  distinct  from  several  adjuncts  to  the  mills,  with  a total  storage,  including 
that  in  the  mills,  ot  7,768,000  bushels.  Next  year  gives  promise  of  showing  fully 
as  great  if  not  a larger  gain  in  the  local  elevator  capacity.  The  table  below  gives 
the  storage  of  the  city  in  detail  : 


Elevator—  Operated  by—  Oap’y.  bus. 

*A1 Minneapolis  Elevator  Company 800,000 

A2 Minneapolis  Elevator  Company 1,250, 000 

*B  and  Warehouse C.  M.  St.  P.  & M.  By 1,100,000 

*C  H.  W.  Pratt  & Company 140,000 

*D Van  Dusen  Elevator  Company 600,000 

*E Sowle  Elevator  Company 100,000 

*Pillsbury C.  A.  Pillsbury  & Company 425,000 

*Lowry Street  Bailway  Company 130,000 

Central Baker-Potter  Elevator  Company 300,000 

*Union Minneapolis  Union  Elevator  Company.  2,000,000 

*Bagley  & Cargill Bagley  & Cargill 100,000 


Total .... 
*Private  elevators. 


6,945.000 


40 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


ELEVATOR  CAPACITY  IN  THE  MILLS. 


Bushels. 

Bushels. 

Anchor  

7,500 

Phoenix 

20,000 

Cataract 

28,000 

Pillsburv  A 

126,000 

Columbia 

70,000 

Pillsbury  B 

Crown  Holler 

75,000 

Saint  Anthony 

8,000 

Dakota 

2,000 

Standard  

30,000 

Excelsior 

7,000 

Union 

4,000 

Galaxy 

60,000 

Washburn  A 

110,000 

Holly 

2,500 

Washburn  B 

65,000 

Humboldt 

25,000 

Washburn  C 

65,000 

Minneapolis 

19,000 

Zenith 

20,000 

Northwestern 

35,000 

Palisade 

30,000 

Total 

823,000 

Pettit 

8,000 

RECAPITULATION. 

Bushels. 

Elevator  storage 

6,945,000 

Storage  in  mills  

823,000 

Grand  total . . . . 

7,768,000 

MINNEAPOLIS  COMPARED  WITH  CHICAGO  AND 
DULUTH. 


The  following  figures  show  a comparison  of  the  amount  of  receipts  of  wheat 
at  Minneapolis  during  the  last  crop  year  as  compared  with  Duluth  and  Chicago 
Saint  Paul  has  no  claim  to  be  mentioned  in  this  comparison  : 


Duluth 16,600,000  bushels . 

Chicago 22,000,000  bushels. 

Minneapolis 32,000,000  bushels. 


It  is  now  well  known  all  over  the  world  that  Minneapolis,  as  a grain-receiv- 
ing point,  is  second  only  to  one  other  in  the  United  States,  viz.,  New  York  City. 


DIRECT  EXPORTS  OF  FLOUR  TO  EUROPE, 


The  exports  of  flour  by  Minneapolis  for  a series  of  eight  years  are  shown  in 
the  appended  table  : 


Barrels. 

1878  109,133 

1879  442,598 

1880  769,442 

1881  1,181,322 


Barrels. 

1881- 2 627,686 

1882- 3 1,700,750 

1883- 4 „ 1,785,450 

188D5 2,055,488 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


41 


The  figures  above  given  do  not  include  the  exports  to  Canada,  which  the 
past  year  amounted  toover  66,000  barrels,  making  thetotal  to  all  countries  2,121, - 
000  b irrel-i.  These  figures  include  only  the  export  of  mills  located  in  Minneap- 
olis, omitting  those  of  the  several  mills  operated  from  this  city  but  located  else- 
where. The  showing  is  certainly  very  gratifying. 

During  the  crop  year  just  closed  the  mills  of  C.  A.  Pillsbury  & Co.  turned 
out  1,730,000  barrels  of  flour,  and  the  Washburn  mills  turned  out  1,318,939  bar- 
rels ! These  are  the  largest  two  milling  firms  in  the  world,  and  it  will  be 
borne  in  mind  that  they  are  both  located  at  Minneapolis. 


THE  FLOUR  INDUSTRY  OF  ST.  PAUL, 


The  following  table  shows  the  capacity  and  output  of  flour  of  the  mills  of 
St.  Paul  during  the  last  crop  year — from  September  1,  1884,  to  September  1, 
1885.  There  is  really  but  one  first-class  mill  in  St.  Paul,  namely,  the  St.  Paul 
Roller  Mills  Company’s  mill,  which  has  a capacity  of  not  over  750  barrels  per 
day,  although  stated  in  the  table  below  at  1,000  barrels.  The  others  are 
simply  feed  and  grist  mills.  St.  Paul  is  exceeded  in  flour  manufacture  by 
North  field,  Dundas,  Stillwater,  Fergus  Falls,  Anoka,  and  half-a-dozen  other 
cities  of  Minnesota  The  table  for  St.  Paul,  as  furnished  in  that  city,  is  as 
follows : 


Daily 

Annual 

No. 

Mill. 

Operated  by. 

Capacity, 

Product, 

Barrels 

Barrels. 

Barrels. 

Exported. 

St.  Paul  Roller  Mill  — 

. . St.  Paul  Roller  Mill  Co. 

1,000 

265,000 

400,000  l 

Thon  & Hamm’s  Mills . 

. . Thon  & Hamm 

100 

25,000 

St.  Paul  Mills 

. . Schaber  & Wendt 

50 

10,000 

Union  Mills 

. . Wm.  Lindeke 

50 

15,000 

City  Mills 

. . Hermann  Teuber 

50 

15,000 

Totals 

1,250 

330,000 

*400,000 

*It  will  be  observed  that  the  St.  Paul  Roller  Mills  exported  more  flour  last 
year  than  was  manufactured  by  all  the  mills  of  St.  Paul  combined 


ELEVATORS  IN  SAINT  PAUL  AND  CAPACITY. 

Bushels. 

A 500,000 

B 750,000 

Transfer 500,000 

1,750,000 

Elevator  A is  on  the  line  of  the  Milwaukee  & St,  Paul  road,  and  practically 
inaccessible  to  the  Minneapolis  mills.  It  is,  therefore,  used  for  storage  of  coarse 
grains  and  a limited  supply  of  wheat  for  the  St.  Paul  Roller  Mills.  As  an  ele- 
vator and  for  elevator  purposes,  it  has  no  particular  reason  for  being,  as  it  does 
not  pay. 


42 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


Elevator  B and  the  “Transfer”  are  both  used  exclusively  by  the  mills  and 
grain  men  of  Minneapolis,  the  elevator  facilities  for  Minneapolis  proper  being- 
inadequate  for  the  vast  bulk  of  wheat  handled  annually. 

The  Transfer  elevator  has  its  offices  at  Minneapolis,  and  is  wholly  controlled 
in  this  city.  It  has  no  connection  with  St.  Paul  save  that,  together  with  a block 
of  other  Minneapolis  capital,  it  was  included  in  the  city  limits  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature. 


THE  LUMBER  PRODUCT  OF  MINNEAPOLIS. 


There  are  twenty-one  lumber  manufacturing  mills  in  Minneapolis.  The 
following  table  gives  the  cut  of  lumber  in  Minneapolis  for  the  past  sixteen  years: 


Year. 

1870. 

1871. 

1872. 

1873. 

1874. 

1875. 

1876. 

1877. 

1878. 

1879. 

1880. 
1881. 
1882. 

1883. 

1884. 

1885. 


Feet. 

118,233,100 

117.157.500 
167,918,820 

180.970.000 
191,305,680 

156.665.000 
200,371,250 

129.676.400 

130.274.400 

149.151.500 
195,452,200 

230.403.800 

312.230.800 
278,716,480 
300,724,373 
310,813,410 


4,170,998,163 

The  figures  for  the  last  two  months  of  the  lumber  crop  year,  September 
and  October  (1885),  have  been  estimated,  basing  the  estimate  on  last  years  cut 
for  the  same  period  and  the  number  of  feet  of  logs  now  ir.  the  booms. 

THE  LUMBER  PRODUCT  OP  SAINT  PAUL. 

There  is  but  one  mill  in  St.  Paul,  which  cuts  annually  about  4,000,000  feet. 


COMPARISONS  OF  THE  MIDI  INC  FACILITIES  OF  MIN- 
NEAPOLIS AND  ST.  PAUL  ARE  ODIOUS. 


No  comparisons  ought  in  fairness  to  be  made  with  the  milling  facilities  of 
Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  either  of  flour  or  lumber,  and  none  would  be  made  in 
this  book,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  it  is  coolly  claimed  by  St.  Paul  writers 
that  the  product  of  the  brains,  money  and  enterprise  of  Minneapolis  is  the 
product  of  St.  Paul.  It  is  well  enough  therefore  to  point  out  by  comparison 
where  this  manufacturing  is  really  carried  on. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


4a 


Railway 


Systems  of  Minneapolis 
and  St.  Paul. 


A slight  reference  to  the  tables  submitted  at  the  conclusion  of  this  article  of  the 
amount  of  raw  material  shipped  into  Minneapolis  and  shipped  out  as  manufac- 
tured commodities,  and  the  immense  amount  of  tonnage  handled  at  Minneapolis 
annually,  must  be  a convincing  argument  to  railway  corporations  that  this  is  an 
important  distributing  center,  and  the  most  necessary  point  to  reach  for  freights 
and  long  hauls  in  the  long  stretch  of  country  from  Chicago  to  the  British  pos- 
sessions or  the  Pacific  coast.  So  far  as  freights  are  concerned,  it  is  the  pivotal 
point,  so  fixed  by  nature  in  the  location  of  the  renowned  water  power  formed  by 
the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony  at  Minneapolis.  The  entire  railway  public,  those 
who  embark  their  investments  in  railway  securities,  have  had  these  facts  forced 
upon  their  attention  by  the  matchless  development  of  the  city  of  Minneapolis 
within  a very  few  years.  Stockholders  realize  them  fully;  if  the  persons  who- 
administer  the  details  of  railroads  do  not  conform  their  plans  to  them,  the  way 
is  left  open  for  new  enterprises  that  will  improve  the  opportunity  thus  pre- 
sented. 

The  tonnage  handled  at  Minneapolis  is  at  least  five  times  as  great  as  that  at 
or  incident  to  St.  Paul.  Why,  then,  should  railroads  make  their  termini  at  St. 
Paul,  and  content  themselves  with  track  and  transfer  facilities  for  Minneapolis 
upon  lines  already  established  here?  Why  should  railroad  shops  and  general 
offices  converge  at  a mere  way  station  between  Minneapolis  and  Lake  Superior 
or  Lake  Michigan  ? 

One  thing  is  certain.  The  shippers  and  business  men  in  Minne- 
apolis understand  the  position  of  affairs.  They  know  they  hold  the  key  to  the 
situation.  The  railroads  which  come  to  Minneapolis  and  identily  themselves 
with  the  men  who  are  creating  these  great  industries  and  directing  the  course 
of  this  immense  bulk  of  freight  will  receive  the  business.  Those  who  are  con- 
tent to  stop  in  St.  Paul  with  their  terminal  appurtenances,  and  send  a clerk  to 
drum  the  city  for  business  will  certainly  be  ignored.  Minneapolis  stands  in  with 
her  friends.  We  have  the  Milwaukee  & St.  Paul,  the  Omaha  and  Albert  Lea 
and  other  through  roads  to  choose  from  as  to  rates,  and  do  not  feel  obliged  to 
confer  business  on  unfriendly  corporations,  so  stupidly  managed  as  to  ignore 
Minneapolis.  The  Mahomets  must  come  to  the  mountain. 

The  following  is  a list  of  the  railroads  having  terminal  facilities  in  Minne- 
apolis, together  with  the  mileage  of  each. 


44 


A TALE  OE  TWO  CITIES. 


RAILROADS  OPERATED  BY  THE  COMPANIES  CENTERING  AT  MINNEAPOLIS. 

Mileage. 


Chicago,  Milwaukee  & St.  Paul 5,774 

Chicago  & Northwestern 5,645 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  & Pacific 3,036 

Northern  Pacific 2,537 

St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  & Manitoba 1,467 

Wisconsin  Central 549 

St.  Paul  & Duluth 208 

Minneapolis,  Sault  Ste.  Marie  & Atlantic* 70 

Minneapolis,  Lyndale  & Minnetonka ,, 22 


Total 19,321 


*This  is  a new  outlet  to  the  seaboard,  via  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  organized  in 
1883,  and  now  in  construction. 

It  brings  Minneapolis  300  miles  nearer  Portland,  200  miles  nearer  Boston 
and  81  miles  nearer  New  York  than  via  Chicago.  It  places  Minneapolis  as  near 
tidewater  (at  Montreal)  as  Chicago  is  at  New  York.  It  extends  a distance  of 
475  miles  from  Minneapolis  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie;  seventy  miles  are  now  com- 
pleted from  Turtle  Lake  east.  Seeking  a connection  with  it  from 
the  east  north  of  the  great  lakes  is  the  great  Canadian  Pacific  railway, 
with  but  an  eighty-five  mile  gap  to  complete,  the  Grand  Trunk  with  but  200 
miles  intervening,  and  several  other  chartered  routes.  Virtually  the  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  road  changes  the  railway  map  of  the  Northwest  by  providing  an  entirely 
new  and  independent  route  to  the  seaboard,  and  it  makes  Minneapolis  the 
objective  point  of  a neiv  railway  system  as  important  as  that  centering  at 
Chicago.  Thh  country  through  which  it  is  to  pass  is  heavily  timbered  with 
limitless  tracts  of  pine,  hemlock  and  hard  wood;  it  is  exceedingly  rich  in 
minerals,  and  will  connect  with  and  build  up  an  important  lake  port  on  the 
north  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  available  for  the  heaviest  boats. 

Tbe  terminal  facilities  of  this  road  will  be  at  Minneapolis.  Ic  was  started 
by  Hon.  W.  D.  Washburn,  of  Minneapolis,  and  is  controlled  by  Minneapolis 
capital.  It  has  no  outstanding  bonds  and  no  debt,  and  the  portion  already  com- 
pleted shows  a surplus  above  interest  and  operating  expenses  every  month.  The 
importance  of  this  great  iine  can  scarcely  be  realized  at  present  or  overstated. 


THE  RAILROADS  IN  DETAIL. 


A more  extended  description  of  the  railway  systems  centering  in  Minneapolis 
is  found  in  a recent  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  It  is  as  follows:  The  first  in- 
dication of  a city’s  permanent  growth  is  its  inclusion  among  the  number  of  places 
with  which  one  or  more  important  railway  lines  communicate;  and  the  final  recog- 
nition of  its  established  greatness  is  the  concentration  of  railway  systems  to- 
wards it  as  a terminal  point  and  a traffic  producing  center.  In  the  present  case 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PALL  COMPAKED. 


45 


both  these  indications  have  been  fulfilled.  The  reader  is  familiar 
with  the  present  status  of  the  companies  whose  iron  roads  traverse 
the  country  surrounding  the  city  of  Minneapolis.  A glance  at  the- 
State  map  will  show  the  position  which  Minneapolis  occupies  as  the  heart  from 
which  these  great  arteries  of  commerce  diverge,  and  toward  which  their  re- 
turning currents  of  trade  tend.  These  diverging  and  constantly  extending  lines 
are  the  radius  of  the  agricultural  and  commercial  area  which  the  city  commands. 
Among  those  courses  of  travel  come  in  the  raw  supplies  which  feed  her  manu- 
factories, and  go  out  the  finished  products  of  her  trade  and  industry. 

By  virtue  of  her  natural  position,  and  by  means  of  these  great  avenues,  she 
has  unchangeably  become  the  depot  for  the  collection  of  the  agricultural  re- 
sources of  a practically  unlimited  area,  or  the  medium  through  which  they  pass, 
as  well  as  the  main  ultimate  point  ol  distribution  for  the  commodities  which  its 
rapidly  increasing  population  demands.  A hint  is  furnished  by  the  fact,  that 
one  point  of  a compass  being  placed  at  Minneapolis  and  the  other  at  New  Or- 
leans, and  the  latter  being  swung  around  to  the  west  and  northwest,  it  will 
describe  a line  which  does  not  reach  the  outer  circle  of  fertile,  growing  country, 
lying  beyond  Minneapolis,  which,  by  reason  of  her  geographical  situation  and 
extensive  railway  system  she  must  naturally  and  permanently  control.  Nine- 
teen distinct  railways  thus  concentrate  their  trains  and  traffic  at  Minneapolis, 
either  over  their  own  independent  roadways,  or,  by  arrangement,  over  other 
stem  lines  entering  the  city.  Sixteen  of  these  reach  Minneapolis  over  their  own 
rails.  The  list  is  as  follows: 

St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  & Manitoba:  Main  Line,  St.  Paul  Short  Line, 
St.  Cloud  and  Fargo  Line,  Breckenridge  Line,  Lake  Minnetonka  Line.  1,314 
miles  long. 

Chicag'o,  Milwaukee  & St.  Paul:  Main  Line,  Fort  Snelling  Line 
St.  Paul  Short  Line,  Iowa  & Minnesota  Division,  Hastings  & Dakota  Division. 
4,383  miles. 

Minneapolis  & St.  Louis  Railway:  Main  Line,  Minnetonka  Line. 
399  miles. 

Chicag'o,  Rock  Island  & Pacific:  Over  M.  & St.  L.  R.  R. 

Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  & Omaha:  1,257  miles. 

Chicago  and  Northwestern:  Over  Omaha  Line.  3,489  miles. 

Northern  Pacific  Railroad:  Main  Line.  2,100  miles. 

St.  Paul  & Duluth  Railroad:  Main  Line.  Stillwater  Line.  Knife 
Falls  Branch.  Taylor’s  Falls  & Lake  Superior  Branch.  208  miles. 

Minneapolis,  Lyndale  & Minnetonka  Railroad;  22mdes. 

These  are  operated  by  nine  separate  corporations.  They  send  out  from  the 
citv  over  100  passenger  trains  daily,  and  here  originate  more  than  250,000  car 
loads  of  freight  traffic  yearly.  Their  recent  rate  of  extension  has  been  more 
rapid  than  that  of  railways  traversing  any  other  section  of  the  country,  and  one 
of  them  has  a greater  mileage  taan  any  other  company  in  the  United  States. 

So  closely  are  these  corporations  allied  to  the  commercial  and  manufacturing 
interests  of  the  city  that  it  is  worth  while  to  speak  briefly  of  each. 


46 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


TIIE  CHICAGO,  MILWAUKEE  & ST.  PAUL  COMPANY. 

Although  the  name  of  Minneapolis  is  not  incorporated  in  that  of  the  com- 
pany, this  city  is  its  terminal  point  upon  five  divisions  or  lines.  These  are 
known  as  the  Main  Line,  St.  Paul  Short  Line,  Fort  Snelling  Line,  Iowa  and 
Minnesota  Division,  and  Hastings  and  Dakota  Division. 

Its  connections  with  the  city  have  been  further  strengthened  by  the  erection 
here  of  large  car  shops,  at  a cost  of  $500,000,  which  constitute  the  main  plant  for 
the  company’s  repairing  and  manufacturing  west  of  the  Mississippi;  employing 
about  2,000  men. 

THE  ST.  PAUL,  MINNEAPOLIS  & MANITOBA  BAILWAY  COMPANY. 

Although  its  general  offices  are  in  St.  Paul,  the  entire  railway  system  of 
this  company  really  centers  at  Minneapolis,  and  is  one  of  the  most  important 
factors  in  establishing  the  present  and  tutuie  prosperity  of  the  city.  Its  mileage 
in  Minnesota  is  968  miles,  in  Dakota  499,  making  a total  of  1,467  miles. 

The  road  traverses  by  its  main  lines  and  branches  the  richest  portion  of 
central  Minnesota,  and  the  well  known  wheat  fields  of  the  Red  River  Valley, 
both  in  Minnesota  and  Dakota;  also  extending  into  the  heart  of  the  rich  terri- 
tory known  as  the  Devil’s  Lake  and  Turtle  Mountain  region. 

THE  MINNEAPOLIS  & ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY  COMPANY. 

The  road  owned  by  this  company  is  operated  in  conjunction  with  the  Chicago 
& Rock  Island  Railway  as  a through  line  to  Chicago.  Its  terminus,  as  well  as 
its  general  offices  and  car  shops,  are  in  this  city. 

This  road  has  a line  running  nearly  due  west  from  Minneapolis  to  Water- 
town,  Dakota,  228  miles.  It  runs  through  a rich  and  beautiful  country,  and  will 
be  one  of  the  most  important  feeders  to  the  city. 

CHICAGO,  ST.  PAUL,  MINNEAPOLIS  & OMAHA  RAILWAY. 

One  of  the  most  enterprising  railroad  lines  in  the  Northwest  is  the  Chicago, 
St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  & Omaha,  and  in  connection  with  the  Chicago  & North- 
western Railway,  with  which  through  connections  are  formed  at  all  junction 
points,  contributes  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  Minneapolis.  Radiating  from 
this  city  these  two  lines,  operated  as  one,  bring  into  close  communication  all  the 
country  to  the  Southwest  through  to  Pierre,  Omaha,  Des  Moines  and  Kansas 
City,  Northeast  extending  thiough  the  great  pine  district  of  Northwest  Wiscon- 
sin to  Duluth,  Ashland,  Washburn  and  Bayfield,  and  eastward  connecting’  Min- 
neapolis, St.  Paul  and  Chicago,  the  three  great  cities  of  the  Northwest. 

THE  SAINT  PAUL  AND  DULUTH  RAILWAY  COMPANY. 

The  connection  of  this  system  with  Minneapolis  is  very  close,  although  its 
terminus  is  in  Saint  Paul.  Recent  changes  indicate  that  a still  closer  relation 
with  Minneapolis  is  to  be  cultivated. 

THE  NORTHERN  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  COMPANY. 

The  completion  of  this  gigantic  enterprise,  now  practically  accomplished, 
marks  a notable  epoch  in  the  railway  history  of  the  world,  and  not  less  in  the 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


47 


annals  of  this  country’s  material  development  and  progress.  The  latest  and 
greatest  of  the  transcontinental  lines  has  its  western  termini  at  Portland.  Oregon, 
where  it  is  met  by  the  tide-water  navigation  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  at  New 
Tacoma,  on  Puget  Sound,  Washington  Territory,  where  it  reaches  the  water  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean  proper. 

On  the  east,  one  arm  touches  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  and  thence  follows 
the  south  shore  eastward  to  the  Michigan  boundary,  while  the  other  and  princi- 
pal arm  has  its  terminus  in  Minneapolis,  with  running  arrangements  which  carry 
its  trains  on  to  Saint  Paul. 

This  main  southeastern  arm  extends  down  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
River  to  Minneapolis,  the  crossing  being  made  to  the  west  bank  over  a substan- 
tial double-track  iron  bridge,  now  built,  within  the  city  limits,  near  Twenty-sixth 
avenue  north.  The  company  has  purchased  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  ground,  for  terminal  purposes,  within  the  city,  and  will  expend  several  mil- 
lion dollars  here  in  such  buildings  and  improvements  as  will  be  adequate  to  han- 
dle fits  immense  traffic  at  this  point. 

The  construction  of  this  highway  opens  and  renders  accessible  to  Minneapolis 
a fertile  tributary  country  extending  1,200  miles  north  and  west.  Minneapolis 
as  the  first  great  city  reached  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  in  its  progress  from 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  naturally  and  necessarily  receives  the  chief  impetus  resulting 
from  the  great  work,  and  enjoys  a larger  advantage  than  any  other  city  from  the 
trade  this  thoroughfare  is  developing. 

The  fact  that  Minneapolis  now  is  and  will  permanently  continue  to  be  the 
market  for  the  bulk  of  the  grain  crop  produced  in  the  fertile  belt  traversed  by 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  chief  distributing  and  shipping  point  for 
those  manufacturing  commodities  which  are  naturally  sent  in  return  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  grain-producing  region,  renders  the  relations  of  this  city  to  the  road 
in  question  particularly  intimate  and  important. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  SAULT  STE.  MARIE  AND  ATLANTIC  RAILWAY. 

This  corporation,  organized  in  1883,  by  leading  capitalists  and  business  men 
•of  Minneapolis,  is  engaged  in  building  a railroad  from  Minneapolis  northwest- 
wardly through  Wisconsin  and  the  northern  peninsula  of  Michigan,  to  a cross- 
ing of  the  Ste.  Marie  River,  which  connects  Lake  Superior  with  Lake  Huron. 
At  the  river  crossing,,  which  is  the  international  boundary  line,  the  road  will  con- 
meet  with  one  or  more  lines  leading  thence  to  Toronto,  Ottawa,  Montreal,  Port- 
land, Boston,  and  other  cities  of  the  American  seaboard.  At  Minneapolis  the 
new  company  has  formed  an  alliance  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Company,  whereby 
the  track,  bridges,  passenger  depots,  and  all  the  extensive  terminal  facilities  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  corporation  will  be  jointly  used  by  the  Minneapolis,  Sault 
Ste.  and  Atlantic  Company. 

The  importance  of  this  enterprise  to  the  northwest  and  its  chief  city,  is  suffi- 
ciently indicated  by  the  following  table  of  comparative  distances  to  sea-board 
points  by  this  and  other  routes  : 


HA  .LLtJS  . 

Prom  Minneapolis  to  New  York,  via  Chicago 1,370 

From  Minneapolis  to  New  York,  via  Sault  Ste.  Marie 1,288 

In  favor  of  latter 82 


48 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


From  Minneapolis  to  Boston  via  Chicago 1,458 

From  Minneapolis  to  Boston  via  Sanlt  Ste.  M 1,340 

In  favor  of  latter 118 

From  Minneapolis  to  Portland  via  Chicago 1,556 

From  Minneapolis  to  Portland  via  Sault  Ste.  M 1,300 

In  favor  of  latter 259 

From  Minneapolis  to  Montreal  via  Chicago 1,256 

From  Minneapolis  to  Montreal  via  Sault  Ste.  M 1,000 

In  favor  of  latter 256 


In  the  matter  of  grain  shipments  from  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Nebraska,  Mon- 
tana and  Manitoba,  and  the  transit  of  flour  from  Minneapolis  to  the  sea-board, 
it  will  worn  a revolution  and  solve  lor  all  time  the  question  of  cheap  transit 
from  the  world’s  greatest  milling  center  to  the  world’s  greatest  markets.  It 
will  fix  permanently  the  supremacy  of  Minneapolis’  greatest  industry  and  enable 
her  millers,  while  defying  competition,  to  pay  northwestern  farmers  so  high  a 
price  for  their  hard  wheat  that  it  cannot  go  elsewhere  until  the  demand  at  this 
point  is  supplied.  It  will  render  it  feasible  to  enlarge  the  milling  capacity  at 
Minneapolis  so  as  practically  to  mill  in  transit  the  entire  surplus  wheat  crop  of 
the  new  Northwest,  no  matter  to  what  magnitude  that  crop  may  attain. 

CHICAGO,  ROCK  ISLAND  & PACIFIC. 

This  company  reaches  Minneapolis  by  practically  controlling  the  Minneapolis 
& St.  Louis  road.  Through  trains  between  Minneapolis  and  Chicago  are  run 
over  this  consolidated  line  known  to  the  public  as  the  “Albert  Lea  Route.” 

CHICAGO,  DURLINGTON  & QUINCY. 

This  strong  corporation  has  resolved  to  tap  the  trade  of  the  Northwest,  and  is 
building  a line  from  near  Clinton,  Iowa,  to  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul. 

THE  MINNEAPOLIS,  LYNDALE  & MINNETONKA  RAILWAY. 

This  suburban  road  has  been  in  operation  four  years,  extending  first  to  Lake 
Calhoun,  later  to  Lake  Harriet,  and  subsequently  to  Lake  Minnetonka.  Its 
further  terminus  is  at  Excelsior,  a small  town  on  the  borders  of  the  last  men- 
tioned lake. 

THE  MINNEAPOLS,  MINNEHAHA  & FORT  SNELLING  RAILWAY. 

This  new  line  extends  from  the  southern  limits  of  the  present  tracks  on  Nic- 
ollet avenue  to  Thirty-fourth  street,  thence  east  to  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railway,  and  south  on  the  west  side  to  that  latter  company’s  tracks, 
thence  to  Minnehaha  Falls.  Excursionists  will  appreciate  the  new  link  thus 
formed  between  the  city,  the  Falls,  and  the  Fort. 

When  the  early  history  of  railroads  as  related  to  Minneapolis  is  cons:dered_ 
when  it  is  remembered  that  prior  to  1862  no  railroad  existed  in  the  State,  that 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARE!). 


49 


for  two  years  subsequent  to  that  date  only  ten  miles  of  line  were  in  operation, 
between  St.  Anthony  and  St.  Paul,  and  that  it  was  not  until  1867  that  a track 
first  entered  the  Minneapolis  proper  of  that  period — this  record  of  the  present 
general  determination  of  railway  systems  toward  the  city,  becomes  one  of  most 
remarkable  import. 

It  signifies — in  common  with  the  preceding  facts  of  population,  extending 
area,  trade  and  manufacture — that  not  only  has  a great  city  developed  from  the 
nucleus  of  the  water  fall,  but  that  fate  with  “the  forefinger  of  all  time”  points 
to  her  as  the  present  and  permanent  metropolis  of  “the  new  Northwest.” 


FREIGHT  RECEIPTS  AND  SHIPMENTS  AT  MINNEAPOLIS. 


The  following  table  is  condensed  from  a showing  of  receipts  and  shipments  of 
four  varieties  of  grain  at  Minneapolis,  recently  published  in  a St.  Paul  paper* 
No  report  of  like  character  has  been  printed  for  St.  Paul,  although  there  has 
been  ample  time  to  prepare  it.  The  secretary  of  the  St.  Paul  Board  of  Trade 
has  no  record  apparently  of  the  receipts  and  shipments  of  grains  at  St.  Paul, 
and  yet  with  what  composure  St.  Paul  claims  to  be  a grain  market ! 

RECEIPTS  OF  GRAINS  FOR  FOUR  TEARS  AT  MINNEAPOLIS. 


1881-2.  1882-3.  1883-4.  1884-5. 

Wheat,  bushels 16,556,250  19,293,375  23,514,576  32,112,840 

Corn,  bushels 851,300  649,003  453,300  318,000 

Oats,  bushels 1,260,400  849,934  538,681  728,600 

Barley,  bushels 93,217  162,300  160,109 


Totals 18,667,950  20,885,529  24,668,857  33,319,549 

SHIPMENTS  OF  GRAIN  FOR  FOUR  TEARS  AT  MINNEAPOLIS. 

1881-2.  1882-3.  1883-4.  1884-5. 

Wheat,  bushels 1,831,750  1,423,211  3,132,749  5,584,320 

Corn,  bushels 630,800  180,400  54,305  23,000 

Oats,  bushels 866,800  203,750  45,985  64,000 

Barley,  bushels 36,976  16,100  67,200 


Totals 3,329,350  1,844,337  3,249,139  3 9.0  5 8,0  6 9 

RECEIPTS  AND  SHIPMENTS  FOR  FOUR  TEARS  ADDED  TOGETHER. 

1881-2.  1882-3.  1893-4.  1884-5. 

Receipts 18,667,950  20,885,529  24,668,857  33,319,549 

Shipments 3,329,350  1,844,337  3,249,139  5,738,520 


Grand  total 21,997,300  22,729,866  27,917,996  39,058,069 


Think  what  railway  trains  must  be  required  to  handle  the  forty  million  bush- 
els of  grain  in  Minneapolis  in  one  year,  or  an  amount  of  freight  equal  to  the 
entire  wheat  crop  of  Minnesota! 


50 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


The  following  is  a statement  showing  the  receipts  at  and  shipments  from 
Minneapolis  September  1, 1884,  to  August  31,  1885,  inclusive  : 


Article. 

Wheat 

Corn 

Oats 

Barley 

Rye 

Flax  seed 

Flour  

Millstuff 

Hay 

Lumber 

Machinery 

Merchandise 

Household  and  emigrant  goods 

Cured  and  dressed  meats 

Lime 

Cement 

Railroad  iron  and  material 

Pig-iron 

Brick 

Coal 

Wood 

Stone  and  marble 

Hides  and  pelts 

Live  stock 

Barrel  stock 

Sundry  articles 

Car  lots 

Butter 


. . bushels . . 
. . bushels . . 
. bushels . . 
. bushels . . 
. bushels . . 
.bushels. . 

. . barrels . . 
....  tons . . 
....  tons . . 

feet . . 

\ pounds . . 

. pounds. . 

. pounds . . 

. pounds . . 

tons . . 

. . barrels . . 
....  tons . . 

. . . . tons. . 

M. . 

. . . . tons . . 

. . . cords . . 

. pounds . . 
.pounds. . 

. . .head. . 

. . . . cars . . 

. pounds . . 


pounds . . 


Receipts. 

32,112,840 

318.000 

727,200 
160,109 

8,400 

140,500 

23,378 

3,003 

12,483 

55.630.000 
29,329,970 

243,426,884 

5,302,400 

6,754,390 

17,010 

71,631 

66,045 

8,910 

15.822.000 
261,012 

29,309 

65.940.000 
1,503,525 

42.000 
2,355 

32.690.000 
128,631 
147,565 


Sliipm’ts. 

5,584,320 

24.000 

44.000 

67,200 

1,200 

26.000 
5,298,941 

142,815 

1 973 

151.100.000 
27,021,220 

258,099,304 

4,158,570 

537,650 

3,435 

4,453 

71,070 

282 

323,000 

102,861 

204 

21.060.000 
3,312,250 

13,950 

157 

55,680,000 

118,324 

176,200 


Statistics  frequently  become  more  pointed  in  effect  when  expressed  in  other 
than  staid  and  solemn  figures,  From  the  above  table  we  find  the  total  of  car- 
lots,  receipts  and  shipments,  is  246  955  cars.  If  we  make  a few  simple  illustra- 
tions the  reader  will  be  better  prepared  to  comprehend  the  enormous  amount  of 
traffic  represented  by  the  figures,  and  more  clearly  see  why  nineteen  lines  of  rail- 
road have  come  to  Minneapolis  either  directly  or  indirectly  after  its  cariying 
trade.  If  all  of  these  cars  were  made  up  into  trains  of  twenty  cars  each 
they  would  make  12,347  trains,  requiting  that  number  of  engines  to 
move  them ; if  cars  and  engines  were  continuously  coupled  together 
they  would  make  a train  1,700  miles  in  length;  or,  if  made  up  into 
four  trains,  each  train  would  reach  from  Minneapolis  to  Chicago;  or  sufficient 
to  completely  fence  in  the  State  of  Minnesota  with  freight  cars,  and  build  a fence 
across  the  middle  of  the  State  from  north  to  south. 

Something  of  an  idea  of  the  enormous  amount  of  flour  manufactured  by  the 
mills  of  Minneapolis  can  be  gathered  if  we  estimate  it  at  the  rate  of  250  loaves  of 
bread  to  the  barrel,  which  would  give  us  the  total  of  1 ,5:10,000,000  loaves  of  bread 
or  25  loaves  for  each  of  the  60,000.000  people  of  the  United  States;  or  the  pro- 
duct would  give  1,500  loaves  to  each  Mirmesotian,  so  that  if  he  were  compelled  to 
“ live  on  bread  alone,”  be  would  have  enough  to  keep  him  comfortably  and  a sur- 
plus with  which  to  feed  the  people  of  Dakota  and  Nebraska.  Again,  if  the  flour  in 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


51 


barrels  was  piled  up,  one  barrel  on  top  of  another,  it  would  make  a column  2,366 
miles  high,  or  if  roped  together  would  make  a pontoon  bridge  from  Boston  to 
Queenstown.  Placed  end  to  end  we  would  have  a line  of  barrels  reaching  more 
than  half  way  across  the  continent. 


MINNEAPOLIS  THE  HEAD  OF 


NAVIGATION. 


Boats  have  frequently  run  to  the  foot  of  St.  Anthony  Falls  when  they  could 
pass  over  Pig’s  Eye  Bar,  just  below  St.  Paul.  Notwithstanding  this  fact  Saint 
Paul  has  always  boasted  that  she  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  head  of 
navigation.  It  is  one  of  the  things  she  has  prided  herself  on  being  the  head  of 
But  an  assemblage  of  river  men,  interested  in  securing  an  appropriation  from 
Congress  for  improvement  of  rivers  and  harbors  in  the  west  and  northwest,  came 
together  in  convention  at  Saint  Paul  this  summer,  and  decapitated  Saint  Paul  as 
to  the  headship  in  an  obdurate  and  effective  way.  The  men  in  that  convention 
knew  a river  from  a drive- well,  and  as  soon  as  they  glanced  at  the  Mississippi  at 
Minneapolis  they  said,  by  resolution,  in  the  following  language,  that  Minneapolis 
is,  and,  in  the  immortal  phraseology  of  the  declaration  of  independence,  “ of  right 
ought  to  be,”  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Mississippi  River: 

Resolved,  That  the  Mississippi  River  from  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony  to  the 
Brulf  of  Mexico  is  a great  and  natural  highway  for  the  commerce  of  the  west,  and 
that  the  distance  between  the  said  falls  and  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  River  being 
more  than  half  the  distance  of  the  navigable  waters  of  said  river — 

Resolved,  That  sufficient  appropriations  should  be  made  to  give  at  least  six 
feet  of  water  in  the  Mississippi  River  from  Cairo  to  the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony  at 
the  earliest  practicable  day,  and  that  we  urge  upon  Congress  that  an  immediate 
appropriation  be  made  for  the  amount  necessary  to  complete  the  said  work;  and 
we  also  favor  continuing  liberal  appropriations  by  Congress  for  the  improvement 
-of  the  Mississippi  River  from  Cairo  to  the  gulf. 

And  Congress  will  doubtless  provide  early  for  the  improvement  of  the  river 
so  as  to  admit  the  larger  boats  to  the  foot  of  the  falls,  as  being  the  head  of  navi- 
gation of  the  Mississippi  River. 


52 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


HOTELS. 


THE  HOTEL  CAPACITY  OF  BOTH  CITIES. 


Since  the  building'  of  the  West  Hotel  in  Minneapolis,  it  has  been  conceded  in 
St.  Paul  that  we  have  at  least  one  good  tavern.  This  is  a concession  worthy  of 
note,  as  previous  to  the  building  of  the  West  St.  Paul  insisted  that  Minneapolis 
could  not  accommodate  the  traveling  public.  Of  course  this  was  not  true,  as 
Minneapolis  was  then  quite  as  well  able  to  take  care  of  a crowd  as  her  neighbor. 
Minneapolis  now  exceeds  St.  Paul  in  hotel  capacity,  and  several  new  hotel  en- 
terprises on  foot  will  give  us  a further  advantage  within  a year.  The  list  is  as 
follows  in  both  cities : 

MINNEAPOLIS. 


West  Hotel 

Nicollet 

Windsor 

St.  James 

Bellevue -. 

National 

Pau  y 

St.  Charles 

New  St.  Charles 

Sixth  Avenue 

Wessex 

Central  Avenue. 

Clark 

Albion 


Rooms. 

Accom. 

. . 450 

1,200 

. . 160 

400 

..  57 

145 

. . 71 

175 

..  23 

60 

. . 75 

190 

140 

..  26 

65 

. . 50 

125 

. . 50 

125 

40 

100 

. . 60 

150 

..  65 

165 

. . 50 

125 

1,232 

3,165 

Besides  the  above,  the  hotels  at  Minnetonka  for  summer  crowds  are  for  all 
practical  purposes  an  extension  of  the  hotel  facilities  of  Minneapolis,  and  usually 
receive  the  overflow  from  our  crowded  houses.  The  capacity  of  four  principal 
hotels,  the  Lafayette,  Lake  Park,  Hotel  St.  Louis,  and  Excelsior  House  is  not 
less  than  seventeen  hundred. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPAKED. 


53 


ST.  PAUL. 


ifcuumt).  Annul. 

Hotel  Ryan 340  800 

Merchants  Hotel 225  500 

Windsor  Hotel 150  300 

Clarendon  Hotel 76  250 

St.  James  Hotel 35  75 

Inter  Ocean  Hotel ,, 22  60 

International  Hotel 73  150 

Sherman  House 84  150 

Winslow  House 25  60 

Baugh’s  European  Hotel,  formerly  the  Astoria 76  125 

Commercial  Hotel 25  70 

Hotel  Grand 27  60 

St.  Paul  House. . : 23  60 


1.181  2,660 


THE  WEST  AND  THE  RYAN. 


Ch.is.  W.  West,  a millionaire,  of  Cincinnati,  built  and  equipped  the  palatial 
hotel  in  Minneapolis  which  bears  his  name.  From  acquaintance  and  business 
interests  in  Minneapolis,  he  knew  as  well  as  any  man  could  the  need  of  a first 
class  hotel  in  the  city.  So  the  West  Hotel  was  built  as  a business  investment 
by  a man  who  seldom  made  financial  errors.  Built  solidly  of  stone  and 
brick,  this  great  hotel  towers  eight  high  stories  above  the  pavement,  fronting 
196  feet  on  Fifth  street  and  174  feet  on  Hennepin  avenue.  Its  interior 
finishings  and  furnishings  are  as  complete  and  sumptuous  as  those  of  any 
hotel  on  the  continent,  while  its  rotunda  stands  alone’  as  a marvel  of  size 
and  beauty  not  excelled  in  the  world.  From  the  day  it  was  opened  it  has 
proved  the  correctness  of  Mr.  West’s  judgment,  for  it  is  a hotel  that  pays  as  a 
hotel,  and  one  that  has  no  favors  to  ask  nor  old  obligations  to  discharge. 

When  Mr.  West  decided  to  erect  his  hotel  in  Minneapolis,  the  people  of  St. 
Paul  immediately  set  to  work  to  secure  a duplicate  hotel  for  that  city.  Capi- 
talist after  capitalist  fewas  approached  to  build  one  that  should  “ scoop”  the 
West.  But  no  man  with  money  would  touch  the  enterprise.  St.  Paul  already 
had  sufficient  of  hotel  room  to  accommodate  its  custom.  But  a big  hotel  must 
be  had  at  any  price.  Public  meetings  were  held,  and  finally  $265,125  was  sub- 
scribed and  paid  as  a bonus,  and  Mr.  Dennis  Ryan  accepted  it  and  built  a hotel 
tha  cost  $750,000,  just  one-half  the  amount  that  Mr.  West  had  put  into  his 
hotel  in  Minneapolis  as  a business  investment  pure  and  simple. 

There  is  no  comparison  between  the  two  houses.  The  Ryan  is  of  light,  airy 
architecture,  with  a gingerbread  appearance  internally,  and  a red  plush  and 
wall  paper  effect  in  decoration  that  shows  in  every  wainscot  and  panel  the 
doubt  of  the  builder  as  to  his  ability  to  make  it  pay.  The  guests  climb  stair 


54 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


ways  after  the  style  of  the  last  century,  and  aie  crowded  into  an  office  room  that 
is  not  so  roomy  as  that  of  the  old  Merchants  Hotel. 

While  the  West  Hotel  made  money  from  the  start,  the  Ryan  apparently  did 
not.  It  demoralized  the  hotel  business  of  St.  Paul,  while  the  West  really  bene- 
fited every  other  house  in  Minneapolis.  Some  of  the  Ryan  stockholders  owned 
the  Metropolitan  Hotel,  and  it  was  closed  up  and  every  effort  made  to  transfer 
its  custom  to  the  Ryan.  Low  special  rates  were  made  to  regular  boarders,  and 
the  Ryan  is  now  well  filled  with  families,  giving  it  the  appearance  of  a high" 
toned  boarding  house.  On  the  other  hand,  the  West  Hotel  has  not  encouraged 
the  boarding  house  feature,  but  has  remained  loyal  to  the  great  traveling  pub- 
lic, adding  new  features  and  constantly  improving  its  service  for  the  travelers’ 
benefit,  eyer  striving  to  be  at  the  head  as  a hotel,  and  as  a consequence  of  that 
spirit  ot  enterprise  and  of  being  situated  in  the  brightest,  busiest  and  most  en- 
terprising city  in  the  country,  it  has  been  a financial  success  from  its  opening. 
It  has  not  asked  other  first-class  hotels  to  close  their  doors  nor  been  an  appli- 
cant for  cheap  business.  The  Ryan  has  done  the  one  and  been  the  other  from 
the  start,  though  much  smaller  and  less  costly  than  the  West.  The  West  of 
Minneapolis,  the  Palmer,  the  Grand  Pacific  of  Chicago,  the  Palace  of  San 
Francisco,  the  Fifth  Avenue  of  New  York,  and  the  Windsor  of  Montreal  are 
the  really  great  hotels  of  this  continent,  and  the  West  belongs  at  the  top.  The 
Ryan  does  not  belong  in  this  list. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


55 


WHOLESALE  TRADE. 


A comparison  of  the  wholesale  trade  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  is  favorable 
to  the  latter  city,  when  the  manufactures  jobbed  in  Minneapolis  directly  from 
the  nulls,  such  as  lumber  and  flour,  are  separated  from  the  jobbing  exhibit. 
Both  cities  have  an  important  wholesale  interest;  they  command  an  empire  of 
tributary  territory,  and  they  divide  the  honors  of  dominion.  The  wholesale 
trade  of  Minneapolis  last  year  amounted  to  about  $60,000,000,  that  of  St.  Paul 
to  $75,000,000.  In  the  St.  Paul  aggregate  we  think  the  items  of  “grain,  flour, 
feed  and  commission,”  “lumber,”  “provisions,”  and  “miscellaneous,”  are 
largely  overstated  in  amount.  These  are  stated  as  follows: 


Grain,  flour,  feed  and  commission $7,931,000 

Lumber 3,714,000 

Provisions  and  dressed  meats 3,710,000 

Miscellaneous 2,421,000 


Four  items $17,776,000 


An  even  ten  millions  would  doubtless  cover  these  four  items.  The  Pioneer 
Press  graciously  says  the  “straight”  jobbing  trade  of  Minneapolis  for  1884  was 
$39,380,292,  and  the  amount  jobbed  by  manufacturers  $33,767,120,  making  a 
total  of  $73,147,412.  This  is  an  unfair  statement  of  the  case;  for  if  the  pro- 
ducts of  Minneapolis  were  included  in  goods  “jobbed  by  manufacturers,”  the 
figures  would  reach  the  enormous  sum  of  $120,000,000,  and  how  would  the 
comparison  with  the  St.  Paul  jobbing  trade  appear  then?  No,  we  would 
rather  see  the  two  cities  weighed  in  the  same  balances.  Strike  from  the  St. 
Paul  jobbing  trade  the  manufactures  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  manufactures  of 
Minneapolis  cribbed  by  St  Paul  “duplicators;”  and  strike  from  the  Minneapo- 
lis wholesale  trade  all  the  manufactures.  While  the  showing  on  this  fair  basis 
would  be  favorable  to  St.  Paul,  it  would  also  clearly  prove  that  the  jobbers  of 
St.  Paul  do  not  handle  fifteen  millions  more  of  merchandise  than  Minneapolis. 
The  wholesale  trade  of  Minneapolis  is  comparatively  a new  departure.  Brad- 
street’s  and  Dun’s  commercial  agencies  both  show  that  about  the  same  num- 
ber of  new  honses  have  opened  in  each  city  since  January  1,  1885.  It  can  no 
longer  be  truthfully  said  that  St.  Paul  is  a commercial  and  Minneapolis  a man- 
ufacturing city;  the  exhibits  of  Minneapolis  show  that  she  is  a manufacturing 
city  in  a large  sense,  and  that  her  wholesale  trade  is  making  rapid  strides  to  an 
equality  with  St.  Paul,  and  has  little  more  to  do  to  equal  her.  Oh.  yes,  Min- 
neapolis is  a wholesale  and  distributing  center,  and  is  bound  to  be  the  focus  for 
this  sort  of  thing  as  she  already  is  for  the  flour  and  grain  trade  of  the  North- 
west. Minneapolis  will  require  but  three  years  more  of  growth  to  pass  St.  Paul 
as  a wholesale  point. 


56 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


THE  PARKS  AND  PARKWAYS. 


The  rapidity  with  which  great  improvements  develop  in  Minneapolis 
is  seen  nowhere  more  unmistakably  than  in  the  growth  of  her  park  sys- 
tem. The  act  of  the  legislature  creating  the  board  of  Park  Commissioners 
was  not  approved  until  February  27,  1883,  and  it  was  not  until  April  18th 
of  the  same  year,  that  the  board,  after  the  acceptance  of  the  act  by  the 
voters  of  the  city,  began  the  execution  of  the  trust  confided  to  it.  The 
progress  of  the  first  year  was  necessarily  confined  to  the  designation  and 
acquisition  of  park  lands,  and  it  was  only  last  season  that  the  commis- 
sioners, having  obtained  such  lands  as  were  considered  desirable,  could  be- 
gin the  active  work  of  improvement.  The  general  system  adopted  by  the 
commission  was  that  of  a number  of  small  parks  for  the  enjoyment  of 
the  population  in  the  vicinity  of  each,  together  with  connecting  drive-ways 
and  a system  of  boulevards  encircling  the  city  and  the  beautiful  chain 
of  lakes  in  the  western  suburbs.  With  this  plan  before  it  the  board  has 
selected  sightly  and  conveniently  located  tracts  in  various  parts  of  the 
city  for  parks,  and  has  also  acquired  and  improved  the  right  of  way  for 
several  of  the  boulevards  contemplated  by  the  system.  Of  the  parks 
there  are  three  large  ones  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  one  on  the 
cast ; there  being  one  for  each  of  the  four  divisions  of  the  city.  These 
parks  are  Prospect,  located  in  the  Third  ward;  Central,  located  in  the 
Fourth;  Riverside,  located  in  the  Sixth,  and  First  Ward  Park,  on  the  east 
side.  The  other  parks,  now  under  the  control  of  the  commissioners,  are  Mur- 
phy Park,  Franklin  Steele  Square,  Hawthorne  Park,  Market  Square,  Elliot 
Park,  and  Oak  Lake  Park.  These  are  all  small  tracts  scattered  about  the 
thickly  populated  portions  of  the  city,  and  all  have  been  improved.  At 
the  opening  of  the  present  season  the  large  parks  had  scarcely  been 
touched.  Such  has  been  the  progress  made  this  summer,  however,  that 
Central  Park  is  now  a finished  and  artistic  pleasure  resort,  and  Riverside, 
Prospect,  and  First  Ward  parks  have  been  transformed  into  attractive 
places  where  natural  beauties  require  but  little  additional  embellishment 
to  make  them  complete.  As  for  the  boulevards,  the  magnificent  drive 
around  beautiful  Lake  Harriet  has  been  almost  graded,  and  the  finishing 
touches  have  been  put  upon  the  Hennepin  Avenue  boulevard,  which  is 
designed  to  be  the  great  pleasure  thoroughfare  from  the  business  part  of 
the  city  to  the  lakes.  A qiarkway  connecting  the  river  and  the  lakes 
also  seemed  desirable,  and  the  line  of  Thirty-fourth  street  from  the 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMP  ABED. 


57 


river  to  Bloomington  Avenue  lias  been  adopted.  A boulevard  along 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  from  the  University  grounds  to  the  Mil- 
waukee Short  Line  bridge,  together  with  a park  immediately  be- 
low the  new  Washington  Avenue  Bridge,  was  contemplated  in  the  sys- 
tem originally  adopted.  On  account  of  the  trouble  in  securing  the  land, 
the  boulevard  has  been  abandoned,  but  by  some  of  the  commissioners  it 
is  still  thought  that  that  portion  of  the  proposed  park  below  the  bluff 
should  be  laid  out.  It  is  almost  opposite  Riverside  Park,  and  would  form 
an  auxiliary  to  it.  It  is  capable  of  being  greatly  beautified,  but  if  unim- 
proved for  park  purposes,  it  is,  from  its  location,  likely  to  be  built  up 
with  an  inferior  class  of  buildings  that  would  detract  from  the  otherwise 
agreeable  surroundings  of  Riverside  Park.  The  only  boulevard  at  present 
established  on  the  east  side  is  that  donated  by  Mr.  James  Stinson,  and 
known  as  the  Stinson  Boulevard.  The  right  of  way  is  two  hundred  feet 
in  width,  extending  from  Division  street  along  the  east  side  of  the  city, 
to  the  Minneapolis  and  Duluth  road.  The  board  has  appropriated  $5,000 
for  the  improvement  of  the  driveway. 

The  construction  of  the  Harriet  boulevard  will  soon  be  followed  by  a 
series  of  drive  ways,  embracing  Calhoun,  Lake  of  the  Isles  and  Cedar 
Lake.  The  Calhoun  boulevard  will  extend  from  the  foot  of  Lake  street 
around  the  northern,  western  and  southern  shores  of  the  lake,  skirting 
Lakewood  cemetery  on  the  west,  and  turning  into  the  boulevard  from  the 
river  at  the  foot  of  Thirty-sixth  street.  This  completed,  the  next  step 
will  be  to  connect  the  Calhoun  and  Harriet  drive-way  by  a grand  boule- 
vard, 200  feet  in  width.  Another  drive  is  from  the  intersection  of 
Hennepin  avenue  and  the  Thirty-sixth  street  boulevard  to  Harriet, 
circling  the  cemetery  grounds.  This  roadway  will  rim  through  a very 
picturesque  stretch  of  land.  To  utilize  the  attractive  country  north 
of  the  Lake  of  the  Isles,  a boulevard  is  proposed  along  Mount  Curve 
avenue,  thence  southeasterly  to  Cedar  lake  and  from  there  south  along 
the  shore  of  the  Lake  of  the  Isles,  connecting  finally  with  the  Calhoun 
boulevard.  To  finish  the  magnificent  system  of  boulevards  which  the 
construction  of  these  various  drives  would  produce,  it  will  be  only  neces- 
sary to  connect  Riverside  park  and  Minnehaha  by  a roadway  along  the 
banks  of  the  river.  Such  is  the  arrangement  of  parkways  which  mem- 
bers of  the  park  commission  have  in  view  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work. 
In  the  two  years  since  they  began  their  labors  they  have,  without  signifi- 
cant cost,  prepared  the  way  for  several  of  the  most  desirable  driveways 
proposed,  and  the  unexpected  benefits  that  have  followed  the  completion 
of  those  already  undertaken  give  assurance  that  the  greater  part  of  the 
system  contemplated  will  soon  become  reality. 

The  improvements  made  in  the  parks  and  boulevards  already  acquired 
are  so  great  that  they  can  best  be  appreciated  if  reviewed  separately. 

CENTRAL  PARK. 

Central  park  is  the  most  pretentious  park  improvement  yet  made 
by  the  commission.  From  ts  location  and  accessibility  it  has 


58 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


become  the  most  popular  park  resort  of  the  city.  It  contains  over  thirty 
acres,  bounded  northerly  by  Harmon  place,  easterly  by  Fifteenth  street 
south  and  Place’s  addition,  southerly  by  the  Sixteenth  street  extended, 
and  westerly  by  Henpepin  avenue.  It  embraces  Johnson’s  lake,  which 
is  fed  by  unfailing  streams  of  pure  water.  The  surrounding  area  is  level, 
and  on  the  north  and  east  side  there  is  an  undulating  declivity,  covered 
by  a fine  growth  of  trees  and  a rich  heavy  sward  which  fit  it  peculiarly 
for  park  uses.  The  chief  expenditure  of  the  board  last  year  was  directed 
to  the  adornment  of  this  park.  An  artificial  arm  of  the  lake 

was  projected  toward  Hennepin  avenue  and  the  margins  of  the 
natural  lake  were  excavated  and  deepened.  The  walks  have  all 
been  graded  and  graveled  and  hundreds  of  trees  have  been  planted 
along  the  boundaries  and  paths  in  the  central  portion.  The  abut- 
ments are  in  place  for  a bridge  across  the  channel  connecting  the 
two  arms  of  the  lake.  Numbers  of  benches  have  been  placed  in  the 
park  this  summer,  and  have  added  greatly  to  the  comfort  of  the  many 
visitors.  Another  year,  when  boating  has  been  provided,  and  a stand  has 
been  erected  for  music,  the  present  popularity  of  the  park  will  be  still 
more  enhanced.  The  remainder  of  Place’s  addition  will  be  included  in 
the  park,  thus  extending  it  on  the  east  to  Willow  street,  adding  to  its 
symmetry,  and  making  a drive  around  the  entire  park.  This  plan  has 
also  been  adopted  with  those  portions  of  Harmon  jjlace  and  Fifteenth 
street  adjacent  to  the  park  which  Pave  been  graded,  and  the  sidewalks 
along  the  boundaries  widened  by  adding  a strip  of  ten  feet  from  the  park. 

RIVERSIDE  PARK. 

The  most  important  acquisition  made  by  the  commissioners  last  year 
was  that  of  the  Sixth  ward  or  Riverside  park.  This  tract  is,  by  nature, 
highly  suited  to  park  purposes.  It  extends  along  the  Mississippi,  being 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Twenty-ninth  avenue  south,  from  Eighth  street 
to  the  river,  if  extended;  on  the  south  by  Eighth  street  south  between 
Twenty-seventh  and  Twenty -ninth  avenues,  and  by  Sixth  street  south, 
from  Twenty-seventh  avenue  to  the  grounds  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy 
hospital,  and  on  the  west  by  Twenty-seventh  avenue  south  between 
Sixth  and  Eighth  streets,  and  by  the  hospital  grounds.  In  general  it 
may  be  described  as  an  L shaped  piece  of  ground,  containing  nearly 
twenty  acres.  Of  these  some  five  acres  are  bottom  land,  covered  with  a 
magnificent  growth  of  ash,  elm,  butternut,  and  sugar  maple.  This  is 
separated  from  the  remainder  of  the  tract  by  a bluff,  and  beyond  this 
the  ground  slopes  upward  to  the  level  of  the  city,  and  is  dotted  with 
native  burr  and  black  oak  trees.  The  picturesqueness  and  beauty  of  this 
location  has  always  made  it  a favorite  resort  and  the  hand  of  the  land- 
scape architect  has  found  but  little  work  to  convert  it  into  an  ideal 
park.  The  scenery  afforded  by  the  river  and  bluffs  is  nowhere  else  along 
the  interurban  stretch  more  animating  or  more  varied.  In  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  park  the  aim  has  been  to  preserve  its  pristine  beauty, 
which  must  always  furnish  a refreshing  contrast  to  the  monotony  of 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMP  APED. 


59 


the  city  streets.  The  wooded  slopes  and  sparkling  springs  have  been 
allowed  to  retain  their  natural  character.  Seclusion  is  secured  by  the 
planting  of  groups  of  trees  and  shrubbery  along  the  boundaries.  With 
this  supplement  to  what  nature  has  already  done,  scarcely  any  other 
tree  planting  will  be  required.  This  summer  the  upland  portion  of  the 
park  has  been  graded  and  the  drives  have  been  macadamized,  and 
another  year  will  see  all  of  this  class  of  work  finished.  The  driveways 
are  not  numerous,  since  it  has  been  deemed  best  to  provide  rather  for 
the  comfort  of  pedestrians,  with  whom  the  park  will  always  be  a favor- 
ite. The  single  carriageway  or  drive  which  extends  through  its  greatest 
length  commands  all  the  attractive  sights  among  the  surroundings,  and 
is  a pleasant  drive.  The  park  is  a source  of  both  pride  and  pleasure 
to  the  residents  of  the  Sixth  ward,  and  the  people  of  the  entire  city. 

MUBFHY  PARK. 

This  park,  which  is  also  in  the  Sixth  ward,  comprises  one  block  of 
land  between  the  intersection  of  Eighth  street,  between  Twenty-second 
and  Twenty-third  avenues  south.  ' It  was  dedicated  to  the  public  use  as  a 
park  by  the  late  Edward  Murphy,  and  contains  about  three  acres.  This 
year  it  has  been  seeded  and  trees  have  been  set  on  the  outside.  The 
park  is  immediately  below  Augsburg  seminary. 

ELLIOT  PAEK. 

This  beautiful  park  had  its  origin  in  the  donation  by  Dr.  Jacob  S. 
Elliot  of  the  valuable  block  in  the  Fifth  ward,  bounded  by  Ninth  and 
Tenth  avenues  south  and  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets  south,  which  had  been 
known  as  Elliot’s  gardens.  Subsequently  the  board  had  purchased  the 
fractional  block  on  the  north,  thus  extending  the  northerly  limits  of  the 
park  to  Eighth  street  south,  and  increasing  its  area  to  four  acres.  A 
small  lake  has  been  created  in  the  center  of  the  park,  and  a graceful 
arrangement  of  walks  produced.  The  lawns  have  been  sown  and  trees 
planted  around  its  exterior.  The  appearance  of  the  park  is  very  pleas- 
ing, and  its  walks  , are  frequented  every  pleasant  day  by  large  numbers 
of  people  living  in  the  neighborhood. 

PRANKLIN  STEELE  SQTJAEE. 

In  one  of  the  most  desirable  localities  of  the  Fifth  ward,  between 
Portland  and  Fifth  avenues  south  and  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  streets, 
lies  Franklin  Steele  square,  which  had  been  donated  to  the  city  by  Mary 
C.  Morrison,  Catherine  B.  Steele  and  Caroline  H.  Addison,  daughters  of 
the  late  Franklin  Steele,  prior  to  the  creation  of  the  park  board.  It  is  a 
pretty  spot  and  has  been  surrounded  by  a sidewalk  of  asbestine  stonOj 
eight  feet  in  width.  The  grounds  have  been  well  cared  for,  and  are  more 
mature  in  appearance  than  the  other  parks.  During  the  summer  months 
they  are  enjoyed  by  hundreds  of  people. 


60 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


PIBST  WABD  PABK. 

It  has  been  the  wise  policy  of  the  park  commission  to  extend  its 
system  to  all  portions  of  the  city,  irrespective  of  the  superior  adapt- 
ability of  one  section  to  another.  In  accordance  with  this  spirit  the 
First  Ward  park  was  laid  out.  It  consists  of  eleven  acres  in  a well- 
populated  district  and  is  bounded  by  Thirteenth  avenue  north,  Monroe 
street,  Broadway  and  Jefferson  streets.  There  are  no  natural  aids  to 
the  landscape  gardener  in  the  embellishment  of  its  surface,  but  the  im- 
provements that  have  been  made  transform  it  into  a beautiful  spot. 

The  park  has  been  graded,  platted,  and  seeded,  and  walks  have 
been  laid  out.  The  trees  and  grass  are  flourishing,  and  already  the 
square  is  assuming  an  air  of  attractiveness. 

HAWTHOENE  PABK. 

Hawthorne  Park  was  one  of  the  small  tracts  in  the  possession  of 
the  city  previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  board.  It  is  a triangular 
piece  of  land  in  thp  Fourth  Ward,  bounded  by  Linden  and  Hawthorne 
avenues  and  Thirteenth  avenue  north.  It  has  been  adequately  improved 
since  coming  under  the  control  of  the  commissioners,  and  has  been 
provided  with  benches,  which  are  always  occupied  during  the  pleasant 
days  of  summer.  Open  air  concerts,  attended  by  thousands  of  people 
are  maintained  in  Hawthorne  Park  during  the  summer. 

PBOSPECT  PABK. 

Prospect  Park,  like  Riverside,  is  rich  in  the  possession  of  natural 
advantages.  It  lies  between  Twenty-sixth  and  Twenty-ninth  avenues 
north,  and  Lyndale  and  Fourth  streets,  in  one  of  the  most  eligible  loca- 
tions in  the  Third  ward.  Rising  in  the  center  is  a stately  eminence  that 
commands  a view  of  the  entire  City  as  well  as  the  course  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River  for  miles.  The  long  stretch  of  country  across  the  stream 
presents  a pretty  spectacle  as  seen  from  the  hill.  The  contour  of  the 
park  is  rolling,  and  it  is  diversified  with  groves  and  lawns  of  much 
natural  beauty.  All  the  driveways,  which  center  at  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  are  finished.  The  surface  is  seeded  and  additional  attractions  are 
to  be  created,  among  which  will  be  a lake  in  the  northwestern  part. 

OAK  LAKE  PABK. 

This  is  a charming  little  triangular  piece  of  land  in  Oak  Lake  ad- 
dition, recently  donated  to  the  city.  The  commission  has  appropriated 
money  for  tree  planting  and  has  increased  the  attractiveness  of  the  place 
in  other  ways. 

THE  LAKE  HABEIET  BOULEVABD  AND  PABK. 

While  the  progress  in  the  parks  this  season  has  been  in  a high 
degree  satisfactory,  it  is  in  the  matter  of  boulevards  that  the  com- 
missioners have  attained  the  greatest  results.  The  Lake  Harriet 
boulevard,  which  is  now  entirely  graded  gives  Minneapolis  a drive- 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


61 


•way,  finer  than  that  possessed  by  any  other  city  in  the  country.  The 
right  of  way  through  the  lands  around  the  shore  of  the  lake  to 
an  average  width  of  125  feet  was  donated  by  the  owners  of  the 
property,  with  the  exception  of  about  eighty  rods,  through  which 
it  is  believed,  a public  highway  already  exists.  The  roadway  proper 
is  forty  feet  in  width,  and  between  it  and  the  shore  of  the  lake  there 
is  a walk,  on  each  side  of  which  there  is  a strip  of  grass  ten  feet 
wide  sown.  Trees  will  be  planted  in  the  middle  of  each  strip  of 
grass,  so  as  to  completely  shade  the  walk,  and  also,  at  certain  times 
of  the  day,  the  driveway.  On  the  outside  of  the  driveway,  for  most  of 
the  distance  around  the  lake  there  is  a slight  bluff,  thickly  wooded. 
The  trees  around  the  boulevard  will  be  planted  next  spring.  The 
drive  will  far  surpass  in  beauty  and  attractiveness  that  along  the  lake 
shore  of  Lincoln  park,  Chicago,  and  time  is  all  that  is  needed  to  make 
it  comparable  to  the  celebrated  boulevards  of  European  countries. 
The  Lake  Harriet  boulevard  and  Park,  including  the  lake,  comprises  over 
seven  hundred  acres. 

HENNEPIN  AVENUE  BOULEVAKD. 

The  Hennepin  avenue  boulevard,  which  extends  from  Lyndale 
avenue  to  Lake  street,  was  constructed  because  Hennepin  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  chief  avenues  for  pleasure  driving  from  the 
heart  of  the  city  to  the  lakes.  The  avenue  was  originally  sixty-six 
feet  wide  along  the  course  of  the  boulevard  and  wa  widened  to 
eighty-eight  feet  by  a strip  of  eleven  feet  of  land  to  each  side.  The 
grading  was  commenced  last  fall  and  the  work  is  now  completed 
It  is  already  a beautiful  drive.  The  roadway  is  forty-four  feet 
in  width  and  on  either  side  is  a wide  stretch  of  turf  with  a 
walk  in  the  middle.  Trees  have  been  planted  on  each  side  of  the  walk 
after  the  manner  of  the  Lake  Harriet  boulevard.  Of  1,700  trees  that 
were  planted  along  the  driveway,  all  but  three  are  now  growing  finely, 
and  those  three  were  struck  by  lightning.  The  benefits  of  the  boulevard 
are  already  apparent.  The  drive  has  become  more  popular  than  ever, 
while  property  along  the  whole  length  of  the  boulevard  has  almost 
doubled  in  value  as  a consequence  of  the  improvement. 

EINANCIAL  STATEMENT. 

The  following  exhibit  shows  the  financial  condition  of  our  Park  Sys- 
tem, and  the  extent  to  which  expenditures  have  been  undertaken  and 
authorized.  It  also  shows  the  amount  expended  on  each  park; 

Cost  of  various  parks — 


Central  Park $217,601.78 

First  Ward  Park 61,134.11 

Prospect  Park .* 36,103 . 27 

Riverside  Park 61,153 . 64 

Elliott  Park 26,177.23 

Hennepin  Avenue  Boulevard 26,875.17 

East  Side  Boulevard 1,909.89 


62 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


Hawthorne  Park 2,933.11 

Franklin  Steele  Square 2,341.89 

Murphy  Park 1,498.94 

Lyndale  Park ...  : 352 . 96 

Resources — 

Bonds  authorized  but  not  issued $230,500.00 

Cash 5,093 . 74 

Park  assessment,  due  in  September 5,853.97 

Park  tax  due  in  September 4,338.27 

Total $245,785 . 98 

Future  Resources — 

Park  assessment  due  September  1 $21,622.58 

Park  tax,  if  levied  as  last  year 52,431.68 

Park  assessments  to  become  due 243,783.29 

Park  assessments  to  be  made 53,307.61 

Liabilities  itemized 368,511.28 


ST.  PAUL  PARKS. 

In  the  matter  of  Parks  and  Parkways,  St.  Paul  cannot  be  compared  with 
Minneapolis.  The  city  has  no  commission,  nor  has  it  authority  to  expend  money 
systematically  for  parks.  Through  the  enterprise  of  a very  few  of  its  citizens  it 
has  secured  27  small  squares  which  are  devoted  to  park  purposes,  but  only  six 
of  these  are  improved,  and  that  by  private  subscription,  at  a cost  of  $42,500.  The 
city  purchased  256.55  acres  and  created  Como  Park,  which  has  cost  $100,000  and 
is  in  a chaotic  condition.  The  city  has  no  plan  of  boulevards  or  parks  except  on 
paper,  and  all  attempts  to  create  these  breathing  places  for  tired  humanity  are 
strongly  opposed  by  the  property  owners  of  the  city.  Rice,  Smith,  and  Irvine 
parks,  consisting  of  one  square  each,  are  the  only  open  places  that  can  be  digni- 
fied by  the  name  of  parks.  It  is  cruel  to  make  a comparison  between  the  Park 
system  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  magnificent  parks  and  boulevards  of  Minneapolis. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMP  APED. 


63 


THE  MORTALITY  RATE. 


To  show  the  comparative  healthfulness  of  the  two  cities  we  have  secured  the 
monthly  reports  of  the  health  officers  of  Minneapolis  and  St  .Paul  for  the  twelve 
months  from  March  1st,  1884,  to  March  1st,  1885.  They  show  that  the  much- 
vaunted  claim  of  St.  Paul,  that  it  is  the  “healthiest  city  in  the  world,”  is  not 
borne  out  by  the  records  when  compared  with  Minneapolis.  The  following 
table  shows  the  rate  each  month  of  the  number  of  deaths  in  a thousand: 


March,  1884 

April,  1884 

May,  18S4 

June,  1884 

July,  1884 

August,  1884 

September,  1884 

October,  1884 

November,  1884 

December,  1884 

January,  1885 

February,  1885 

Average  rate  per  annum. 


Minneapolis 
St.  Paul 


Minneapolis. 

St.  Paul. 

. ..  7.38 

11.28 

. ..  7.38 

9.00 

. ..  11.16 

15.48 

...  9.78 

14.40 

. ..  24.73 

29.88 

. ..  19.37 

21.24 

. ..  16.05 

16.  OS 

. . . 12.27 

12.36 

. ..  8.21 

12.96 

. . . 10.42 

11.04 

...  9.04 

10.56 

. . . 10.88 

10.92 

:S 

12  22 
. ...  14.60 

The  rule  of  civilization  is  that  the  larger  the  city  the  greater  the  necessary 
precautions  to  secure  good  health,  and  when  cities  succeed  in  obtaining  sanitary 
conditions  such  as  are  shown  by  both  of  these  cities  they  at  once  become  par- 
ticularly desirable  as  business  and  residence  localities.  With  a population  18,000 
in  excess  of  Saint  Paul,  Minneapolis  shows  a death  rate  15  per  cent,  less,  which 
certainly  is  conclusive  as  to  the  relative  drainage,  water  supply,  and  sanitary  in- 
spection of  each.  The  figures  dispose  of  the  St.  Paul  claim  to  being  the  healthier 
city,  and  once  more  Minneapolis  steps  in  and  occupies  her  rightful  place  as  hav- 
ing more  and  better  sanitary  improvements,  and  as  showing  a lower  death  rate 
than  any  city  in  the  world  of  100,000  or  more  people.  For  the  purpose  of  further 
comparison  we  have  made  up  another  table,  which  shows  the  number  of  deaths 
in  each  city  from  September  1,  1884,  to  August  31,  1885,  inclusive,  and  from 
which  we  deduce  percentages  independent  of  the  figures  of  either  health  officer. 


64 


A TALE  OE  TWO  CITIES. 


The  following  table  shows  the  total  deaths  reported  by  months,  the  basis  of 
the  calculation  is  130,000  population  for  Minneapolis  and  112,000  for  Saint  Paul. 


September,  1884 . . . 

October,  1884  

November,  1884  . . . 
December,  1884  . . . 

January,  1885  

February,  1885  

March,  1885 

April,  1885 

May,  1885 

June,  1885  

July,  1885  

August,  1885 

Total  deaths 


Minneapolis. 

Saint ! 

167 

134 

124 

103 

89 

108 

113 

92 

98 

88 

119 

91 

95 

94 

100 

77 

106 

90 

76 

76 

167 

188 

160 

143 

1,414 

1,286 

Average  rates — Minneapolis,  10.87  ; Saint  Paul,  11.49,  a difference  of  over 
5 per  cent,  in  favor  of  Minneapolis. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPAIiED. 


65 


THE  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  RATES. 


The  Minneapolis  water  supply  is  taken  from  the  Mississippi  by  pumps  and 
forced  through  the  city,  the  total  amount  of  mains  in  use  at  the  date  of  January 
1, 1885,  being  41  miles,  and  the  number  of  hydrants  485.  The  entire  cost  of  the 
water  works  has  been  $893,474.56.  The  capacity  of  the  pumping  machinery  is 
40,000.000  gallons  per  diem,  and  the  actual  supply  f or  the  past  year  has  been 
over  7,000,000  gallons  every  twenty-four  hours. 

The  St.  Paul  water  is  obtained  from  Lake  Yadnais,  nine  miles  from  the  city 
and  is  principally  distributed  by  gravity,  through  44J4  miles  of  mains,  about 
five  miles  of  which  are  used  in  bringing  the  water  to  the  city  limits.  The 
capacity  of  the  main  conduit  is  30,000,000  per  diem.  The  rumping  works  have  a 
capacity  of  3,500,000  gallons,  and  furni  h actual  service  of  about  1,000,000  gallons. 
The  gravi  y service  supplies  about  3,000,000  gallons  per  diem,  making  the 
total  supply  about  4,000,000  each  twenty-four  hours.  The  total  number  of 
hydrants  in  place  is  315.  The  works  have  cost  up  to  January  1,  1835,  $1,272,000. 
This  includes  the  cost  of  a plant  formerly  owned  by  a private  corporation  which 
furnished  water  to  the  city.  Minneapolis  has  seven  pumps.  The  power  for  the 
Minneapolis  water  works  is  furnished  by  the  water  power  of  St.  Anthony  Falls 
operating  seven  Turbine  water  wheels,  the  finest  pumping  system  on  the  conti- 
nent That  of  St.  Paul  is  furnished  by  steam.  There  are  two  pumping  engines. 
Minneapolis  actually  uses  three  million  gallons  more  of  water  every  twenty-four 
hours  than  St.  Paul. 


COMPARISON  OF  WATER  RATES. 


A recent  article  printed  in  a St.  Paul  paper  makes  a comparison  between 
the  water  works  system  and  rates  in  that  city  and  Minneapolis.  Appended  is  a 
condensation  of  its  principal  points; 

“The  following  carefully  prepared  table  will  show  the  comparative  rates  of 
eleven  principal  cities  on  the  various  items  for  which  charges  are  specified : 


COMPARATIVE  TABLE  OF  RATES. 


66 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


o 


CM 

I 

CO 


\w 


CO 

I 

IO 


CM 

rH 


d 

Ct! 

rO 

<1 


c3 

pp 


a 

Q 


d 

d 

.2 

o 

d 

O 


■4-3 

o 


d 

CtS 

M 


© 

© 

dfj 

d 

£ 

rd 


o$ 

d 

ct: 


O 

Pd 


kH 


o 

Ph 


o 

hp 


02 


rd 

o 

Ph 


Pd 

■4-i 

02 


at 

CM 


o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

<3 

rH 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

,tH 

o 

CO 

co’ 

00 

io 

CO 

CO 

CO 

IO 

o 

CM 

rH 

rH 

CM 

rH 

1 — 1 

r-H 

rH 

rH 

rH 

tH 

r-H 

1 — 1 

rH 

rH 

bfl 

| 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

d 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

o 

GO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

I- 

o - 

© 

o 

I O 

rH 

o 

rH 

o 

CM 

GO 

00 

cd 

o' 

1 — 1 

1 — 1 

i — i 

tH 

H 

rH 

rH 

p; 

1 

00 

1 

CM 

1 

o 

1 

00 

! 

GO 

1 

GO 

1 

o 

1 

IO 

1 

tH 

1 

CO 

1 

o 

1 

GO 

m 

i — i 

r — 

rH 

m 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

CM 

io 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

© 

S-? 

<M 

T“- 1 

CO 

CM 

CO 

CM 

IO 

rH 

CM 

© 

1 

1 

1 

1 

« g 

o 

O' 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

CO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

CM 

id 

CM 

cd 

rH 

CO 

co 

CO 

IO 

cd 

IO 

rH 

m 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

d 

IO 

o 

IO 

o 

o 

CM 

o 

o 

o 

rH 

O 

CM 

cd 

CM 

IO 

o 

o 

© 

id 

o 

CO 

i — 1 

rH 

rH 

1 — i 

rH 

1 — ! 

CM 

rH 

tH 

d 

m 

m 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

tH 

a § 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

tH 

®’S) 

CO 

co 

IO 

rH 

rH 

rH 

CO 

-d 

id 

CO 

o* 

m 

■4^  d 

cch 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

rH 

o 

IO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c 

IO 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

CC 

C 0) 

r 1 

T — 1 

CO 

CO 

CM 

CM 

CO 

rH 

CM 

CM 

CM 

CM 

S3 

.fc'i 

o 

1 

o 

o 

o 

I 

o 

o 

c 

1 

o 

o 

1 

o 

o 

1 

tH 

o 

IO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c 

IO 

o 

o 

IO 

tH 

M co 

CM 

CM 

CO 

CO 

CM 

CM 

GO 

1 — 1 

CM 

CM 

CM 

CM 

m 

m 

© m 

O 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c 

o 

o 

o 

o 

rH 

O 

o 

O' 

o 

o 

o 

c 

o 

o 

o 

O' 

CO 

>e 

CO 

rp 

CO 

CO 

CM 

CM 

00 

CO 

CM 

CO 

CO 

P-102 

m 

* 

m 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c 

o 

O' 

o 

tH 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c_ 

o 

o 

o 

tH 

CO 

rH 

CO 

rH 

CO 

CO 

CM 

CO 

cd 

CM 

i 

1 

1 

1 

I 

1 

"5 

w 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IO 

- o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

c 

o 

o 

IO 

o 

© 

CO 

IO 

CM 

CO 

IO 

CO 

IO 

rH 

id 

CM 

rH 

rH 

m 

r — , 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

tH 

^ 1 — 1 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

CM 

S 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

o 

IO 

IO 

rH 

id 

CO 

cd 

rH 

m 

rH 

m 

© 

fc£ 

d 

© 

< 


♦Charge  for  entire  stable — not  per  head. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


67 


“In  this  table,  under  the  head  of  baths  and  water  closets,  the  figures  of  the 
second  column  represent  the  charge  for  each  additional  bath  or  closet  after  the 
first.  Under  livery  stables,  the  second  figure  is  the  charge  for  every  head  of 
stock  after  the  first  thirty.  Under  dwellings,  the  first  figure  is  the  charge  for  a 
six  or  seven  room  house;  the  second  for  a seven  to  ten,  and  the  third  for  larger 
houses.  Under  meters,  the  first  figure  is  the  charge  per  1,000  cubic  feet,  and 
the  second  the  lowest  charge  where  large  quantities  are  used.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  Minneapolis  rates  are  considerably  lower  than  those  of  any  other  city  on  the  list. 
For  dwelling  houses  St.  Paul  charges  considerably  more  than  Minneapolis, 
Rochester  or  St.  Louis,  a trifle  more  than  Albany,  Cincinnati  or  Milwaukee;  a 
trifle  less  than  Buffalo  or  Portland,  Me.,  and  about  the  same  as  Chicago  and 
Kansas  City.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  table  that  St.  Paul  rates  are  higher  than  the 
average  of  these  cities  on  steam  engines,  water  closets,  dwellings  and  meters,  and 
below  the  average  on  yard  sprinklers,  baths,  livery  stables  and  saloons.  Taking 
the  places  where  most  water  is  used,  St.  Paul  rates  are  above  the  average.  St. 
.Paul  charges  $6  for  a private  stable  without  taking  into  account  the  number  of 
•horses.  Other  cities  charge  per  horse. 

THE  TWO  CITIES  COMPARED. 

“Taking  a nine-room  dwelling,  the  charges  in  St.  Paul  are  more  than  half  as 
high  again  as  in  Minneapolis,  as  the  following  table  shows: 

Dwelling.  Bath.  Closet.  Basin.  Total. 


St.  Paul $ 11  00  $4  09  $5  00  $20  00 

Minneapolis 4 00  2 50  3 00  $3  00  12  50 


POINTS  OF  DIFFERENCE. 

“Another  great  difference  in  the  methods  of  the  two  cities  is  the  manner  of 
paying  tor  their  mains.  All  the  work  in  St.  Paul  is  done  by  the  board,  raising 
mont'y  by  the  issuance  of  bonds.  Minneapolis  has  laid  all  her  mains  by  assess- 
ing the  full  cost  on  the  fronting  propeity.  For  example,  last  year  Minneapolis 
charged  $1.35  per  foot  on  all  streets  where  mains  were  laid,  so  that  every  owner 
on  either  side  of  the  street  paid  67%  cents  per  front  foot.  By  this  tax  about 
$92,000  was  collected — more  than  enough  to  pay  for  the  full  cost  of  laying  the 
mains.  This  year  the  assessment  < as  been  reduced  to  $1.25,  or  62%  cents  on 
either  side  of  the  street.  The  only  charge  in  any  manner  approaching  this  in 
St.  Paul  is  the  frontage  tax  of  10  cents  per  foot — not  charged  the  first  year. 
With  all  these  explanations,  the  plain  fact  remains  that  water  rates  in  St.  Paul 
are  considerably  higher  than  in  Minneapolis,  and  above  the  average  of  the  cities 
the  rates  in  which  are  shown  above. 

* * ****** 

“The  cost  of  laying  mains  m St.  Paul  has  been  considerably  more  than  in  Min- 
neapolis on  account  of  the  ground  formation  in  the  latter  city.  Moreover,  the 
water  is  drawn  directly  from  the  river,  and  most  of  their  expenditure  has  been 
on  paying  mains.  There  is  the  great  point  of  difference  between  the  two  cities, 
and  the  true  explanation  of  the  high  rates  in  the  capital  city.  In  St.-  Paul  half 
of  the  mains  are  outside  of  the  city — supply  pipes  bringing  the  water  from  the 
lakes— and  consequently  pay  no  revenue.  Of  the  seventeen  odd  hundred  thou- 
sands expended,  about  $750,000  has  been  spent  at  the  lakes  and  between  the 
lakes  and  the  city.  From  this,  of  course,  there  is  no  direct  return.  Each  year 
the  mains  will  be  extended  throughout  the  city  and  the  number  of  consumers 
increased.  Each  year,  the  board  promise,  rates  will  be  correspondingly  low- 
ered, and  before  the  end  of  1837  they  claim  that  St.  Paul  rates  will  compare 
favorably  with  those  of  any  city  in  the  country.’' 


68 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


NEW  WATER  RATES  OF  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


Since  commencing  the  compilation  of  this  work  the  city  of  St.  Paul  has 
made  a reduction  of  its  water  rates,  and  we  give  most  of  the  new  rate  items  in 
comparison  with  similar  items  in  the  Minneapolis  rate  adopted  in  the  spring  of 
1884  and  still  in  force.  On  meter  rates  a reduction  of  20  per  cent  was  made 
June  1st,  1885,  and  the  rate  given  in  the  table  is  from  10  to  20  per  cent  below 
the  June  rate,  and  yet  the  meter  rate  in  St,  Paul  is  from  50  to  380  per  cent 
greater  than  in  Minneapolis.  The  rates  for  private  houses,  hotels,  shops,  etc., 
are  largely  in  excess  of  the  Minneapolis.  In  Minneapolis  schools  and  charitable 
institutions  are  furnished  with  water  free  of  charge,  while  the  contrary  is  true 
of  St  Paul,  which  even  charges  her  school  children  5 cents  each  for  the  priv- 
ilege of  water  in  the  school  houses.  Fountains  are  taxed  for  a five  months* 
term  from  250  to  800  per  cent  more  than  they  are  in  Minneapolis.  And  yet 
the  usual  cheeky  claim  is  made  by  St.  Paul  that  its  water  rates  are  low  in 
comparison  with  any  city  of  the  same  class.  The  appended  table  disposes  of 
0 the  claim  in  a way  that  cannot  be  disputed: 


cc 

WATER  RATES 

p 

- tn  CD 

: p 
: ^ 

Building  purposes — Raying  stone,  per  perch 

02 

on 

05 

Raying  brick,  per  M 

10 

Plastering,  per  100  yards 

50 

20 

Beer  pumps 

if  25  00 
4 00 

if  20  00 

Bakeries — Each  bbl.  flour  daily 

4 00 

Horse  power  boilers 

10  00 

Blacksmith  shops — First  fire 

5 00 

3 00 

Each  additional  fire 

3 00 

2 00 

Each  additional  band 

50 

Banks,  each 

6 00 

10  00 

Baths — Private  house,  1 bath 

3 00 

2 50 

Private  house,  each  additional 

2 00 

2 50 

Hotels  and  boarding  houses 

6 00 

8 00 

Public 

8 00 

8 00 

And  for  each  additional  tub 

8 00 

4 00 

5 00 

4 00 

Each  additional  chair 

3 00 

2 00 

EarVh  wash  basin  

1 00 

Boarding  houses 

dw’l’ng  rts 
1 00 

8 00 

Each  room 

25 

5 00 

Each  additional 

50 

25 

5 00 

Carriage  Shops— 5 persons  or  less . . 

5 00 

5 00 

Ea.eh  additional  ..  

50 

More  than  5 and  less  than  10 

10  00 

MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


69 


WATER  RATES. 

St.  Paul . . 

Minneap- 
olis .... 

More  than  10 

15  00 

For  each  fire,  blacksmith  rates  in  Minneapolis .... 
Churches 

6 00 

5 ‘00 

Dentists’  offices 

5 00 

6 00 

Dye  works 

( 15  00 

i to 

Meter 

Rates. 

Dwelling's — Four  rooms 

( 50  00 

5 00 

Five  rooms 

6 00 

3 00 

Each  additional  room 

50 

25 

Each  additional  family 

5 00 

Fountains — 5 mos.  in  St.  Paul,  6 mos.  in  Minneapolis — 
One-sixteenth  inch  nozzle 

10  00 

3 00 

One-eighth  inch  nozzle 

20  00 

8 00 

Three-sixteenth  inch  nozzle 

40  00 

One-fourth  inch  nozzle 

60  00 

25  00 

One  half  inch  nozzle 

120  00 

Laundries 

15  00 

Not  over  10  persons 

15  00 

Mark  pit,  TTmisp — FarVh  stall .... 

5 00 

Frpp. 

Offices  and  sleeping  rooms — First 

3 00 

2 00 

Second  room 

2 00 

1 00 

Each  additional 

1 00 

1 00 

Printing  offices 

10  00 

Five  persons  or  less 

3 00 

Each  additional 

25 

Photo  galleries 

( $ 15  00 
\ to 

$ 15  00 
15  00 

Restaurants 

( 25  00 

15  00 

Stables — Private,  each  cow  or  horse 

2 00 

1 00 

Livery 

20  00 

Livery,  each  stall 

2 00 

1 00 

Steam  engines — Each  horse  power,  up  to  10 

4 00 

4 00 

Each  additional  horse  power 

4 00 

2 00 

School  houses — Per  scholar 

05 

Free. 

Stores — (Except  liquor  and  drug) 

5 00 

Twenty-five  feet  wide  and  1 story 

6 00 

Each  additional  story 

2 00 

Each  additional  ten  feet  in  width 

2 00 

Stores — Liquor. . . . 

( 10  00 
4 to 

25  00 

Drug 

( 20  00 

( 10  00 

to 

7 00 

Saloons — Liquors  alone 

( 20  00 
12  00 

15  00 

With  restaurant 

( 15  00 

■]  to 

25  00 

Tenements — Each  family 

( 50  00 

5 00 

3 00 

Urinals — In  houses,  stores  and  offices 

3 00 

2 50 

70 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


WATER  RATES. 

St.  Paul. . 

g 

o B 

tip 

Ui  © 

• 03 
; ho 

In  barber  shops,  salotms,  hotels,  etc 

5 00 

5 00' 

Vegetable  fountains 

5 00 

8 00 

Water  closets — Private 

4 00 

3 00 

Each  additional 

3 00 

3 00 

Stores,  banks,  etc 

Barber  shops,  hotels,  etc 

4 00 

| 10  00 

6 00 

Wash  bowls — Each 

1 50 

1 00 

Meter  rates  for  monthly  consumption  of  10,000  gal- 
lons or  less 

40 

20 

From  10,000  to  30,000 

38 

10 

From  30,000  to  50,000 - 

35 

10 

From  50,000  to  100,000 

33 

10 

From  100,000  to  150,000 

30 

10 

From  150,000  to  200,000 

28 

10 

From  200,000  to  250,000 

25 

10 

From  250,000  to  300,000 

23 

10 

From  300,000  to  400,000 

20 

10 

From  400,000  to  500,000 

18 

10 

Over  500,000 

15 

10 

MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


71 


OUR  WATERING  PLACES. 


THE  MINNEAPOLIS  SUMMER  RESORTS. 

Minneapolis  is  surrounded  in  nearly  all  directions  by  lakes, Hennepin  county  con- 
taining over  eighty  within  its  limits.  While  many  of  these  are  small,  a goodly 
number  exceed  a mile  in  length,  and  nearly  all  of  them  have  well  wooded 
shores.  The  Big  Woods,  a body  of  heavily  timbered  forest,  stretching  across  the 
state  for  a distance  of  85  miles,  covers  nearly  all  the  northwestern  portion  of 
the  county, and  the  numerous  lakes  embosomed  in  the  forest  are  delightful  resorts 
during  the  summer,  and  many  have  summer  residences  on  their  banks. 

Within  the  city  limits,  and  forming  its  southwestern  boundary,  are  Lake  Cal- 
houn, Lake  Harriet,  Lake  of  the  Isles,  and  Cedar  Lake,  three  of  which  are  over 
a mile  in  length,  and  are  visited  by  thousands  of  people  during  the  summer 
months.  Hotels  are  located  at  Calhoun  and  Harriet,  which  are  accessible  by 
motor  trains  hourly.  Many  cottages  are  owned  by  private  families,  and  many 
are  kept  for  rent.  There  are  many  private  camping  places,  and  at  one  time  this 
season  the  writer  counted  fifty  tents  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Harriet,  visible 
from  a single  point.  This  number  did  not  cover  more  than  one-fourth  of  the 
tents  located  around  the  lake  at  that  time.  On  Sundays  it  was  many  times 
difficult  for  the  motor  line,  with  half  hourly  trains,  to  convey  the  crowds  who 
visited  these  lakes  and  Minnetonka. 

Of  the  fine  lakes  which  are  visited  by  crowds  of  people  besides  those  named 
above  are  Crystal,  Medicine  and  Christmas  lakes,  and 

LAKE  MINNETONKA. 

There  is  no  other  lake  in  the  country  that  presents  so  many  inviting  features 
for  a pleasant  summer  resort  as  Minnetonka.  It  lies  twelve  miles  in  a south- 
westerly direction  from  the  city,  and  besides  being  easily  reached  over  fine  car- 
riage roads,  has  three  railways  leading  to  it  from  Minneapolis,  over  which  about 
twenty  regular  trains  are  run  each  way  daily  during  the  summer  season,  and 
one  of  them  has  run  its  southern  passengers  to  the  lake  in  through  sleeping  cars 
without  change  of  cars.  These  roads  are  all  finely  equipped,  the  tracks  laid  with 
steel  rails,  and  making  the  run  in  about  40  minutes. 

Minnetonka  is  an  aggregation  of  bays,  its  water  area  covering  some  15,000 
acres,  surrounded  by  the  grand  forest  known  as  the  Big  Woods,  and  has  high 
and  rolling  banks  and  an  undulating  shore.  Numberless  points  and  promon- 


72 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


tories  break  the  lake  up  into  bays,  some  twenty-five  in  number,  affording  some 
of  the  finest  scenery  that  ever  charmed  the  eye  of  poet  or  painter.  No  lake  is 
sketched  oftener,  no  lake  is  the  subject  of  more  rapturous  and  enthusiastic 
laudations  from  visitors  than  Minnetonka;  and  there  is  no  resort  which  is  so 
justly  entitled  to  all  the  praises  bestowed  upon  it. 

The  number  of  tourists  who  visited  Minnetonka  during  the  summer  of  1885 
amounted  to  about  200,000,  who  passed  over  its  railways,  sailed  on  its  mag- 
nificent steamers  and  visited  its  hotels. 

It  has  around  its  shores  nine  first-class  hotels  and  twenty-five  regular  board- 
ing houses,  besides  many  houses  where  a few  guests  are  entertained  for  the  sake  of 
■“company.’’  The  estimated  cost  of  hotel  and  boarding  house  property  alone, 
which  is  used  only  during  the  tourist  season,  amounted  in  1884  to  $1,760,000, 
without  including  the  furniture. 

The  amount  invested  in  boating  property  at  the  same  date,  when  there  were 
but  fifteen  steamers  on  the  lake,  was  $164,200.  Since  that  date  there  have  been 
fifteen  steam  yachts  added  to  the  boating  facilities,  most  of  which  are  run  regu- 
larly for  carrying  passengers,  or  are  chartered  for  excursions. 

At  the  same  date  there  were  116  summer  residences,  valued  at  $275,225. 
Now  there  are  185,  an  increase  of  nearly  33  per  cent,  in  two  years.  In  addition 
to  these  there  are  about  25  cottages  which  are  kept  for  rent  during  the  summer, 
all  of  which  were  occupied. 

The  number  of  people  visiting  Hotel  Lafayette  during  the  season,  who 
registered,  was  about  7,000;  Lake  Park  Hotel,  5,000;  Excelsior  House,  2,000; 
Hotel  St.  Louis,  2,000.  During  the  height  of  the  season  nearly  every  house  of 
entertainment  was  crowded,  and  at  Excelsior  all  the  spare  rooms  in  private 
houses  were  filled,  the  Excelsior  House  having  at  times  guests  in  five  tenements 
outside  of  the  hotel. 

There  is  no  resort  in  the  country  that  boasts  of  finer  hotels  than  Hotel  Lafay- 
ette and  Lake  Park  Hotel,  or  as  fine  passenger  steamers  as  the  Belle  of  Minne- 
tonka and  City  of  St.  Louis  Hotel  Lafayette  is  800  feet  long,  nearly  100  feet 
wide,  with  20  foot  verandas  extending  almost  entirely  around  the  ground  floor, 
and  is  three  stories  in  height.  It  has  accommodations  for  900  guests,  and  its 
furnishing  and  equipments  are  perfect  in  detail,  and  embrace  every  modern 
contrivance  for  hotel  use.  Lake  Park  Hotel,  while  considerably  smaller  than 
Lafayette,  having  accommodation  for  about  500  people,  is  fitted  and  furnished 
on  the  same  generous  plan.  Hotel  St.  Louis  is  a fine  hotel,  caring  comfortably 
for  about  400  guests,  and  handsomely  furnished.  All  these  hotels  have  steam 
fixtures  for  heating,  the  two  former  are  lighted  by  electricity  and  the  latter  by 
gas.  The  character  of  all  the  other  houses  is  first-class,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
resort  can  show  a list  of  houses  of  entertainment  that  are  so  universally  popular- 

The  fishing  here,  as  at  other  lakes,  is  a great  attraction,  and  many  sports- 
men spend  their  vacations  on  Minnetonka. 

Tnis  resort  has  attained  a high  place  in  the  estimation  of  eminent  physi- 
cians for  the  great  benefit  derived  by  patients  suffering  from  throat  and  lung 
diseases  and  hay  fever.  Sufferers  from  asthma  and  hay  fever  receive  almost 
immediate  benefit.  The  number  of  invalids  visiting  Minnetonka  increases 
argely  every  season,  as  the  fame  of  its  cures  or  partial  cures  spreads  abroad. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


73 


The  season  of  1885  was  noted  for  the  unusual  number  of  invalids  and  the 
great  number  of  physicians  from  all  parts  of  the  country  who  visited  the  lake. 

We  are  aware  that  it  will  be  claimed  that  Minnetonka  is  not  exclusively  a 
Minneapolis  summer  resort,  and  it  is  not  But  it  is  nearer  Minneapolis  than 
St.  Paul,  and  every  body  must  go  through  Minneapolis  to  reach  it.  The 
■comparison  between  Minnetonka  and  White  Bear,  the  favorite  St . Paul  lake  re- 
sort is  made  because  generally  speaking  St.  Paul  booms  White  Bear  and  ignores 
if  she  does  not  depreciate  Minnetonka,  while  Minneapolis  sticks  by  Minne- 
tonka, and  invests  money  in  her  private  cottages,  steamers  and  residence  sites. 

Some  St.  Paul  capital  it  is  true,  is  also  expended  at  Minnetonka,  but  in  order 
that  it  may  be  at  all  measured  with  Minneapolis,  the  investments  of  the  Mani- 
toba road  in  hotels  and  steamers  must  be  included.  We  think  it  will  be  gen- 
erally admitted  that  Minnetonka  is  the  favorite  Minneapolis  resort,  and  White 
Bear  is  preferred  in  St.  Paul,  although  many  Minneapolis  people  go  there 
every  year. 

WHITE  BEAE  LAKE. 

White  Bear  Lake,  lying  about  ten  miles  north  of  Saint  Paul,  is  a sheet  of 
pure  water  covering  about  5,000  acres  with  sparsely  wooded  shores.  Its  proximity 
to  Saint  Paul  made  it  the  exclusive  resort  of  pleasure-seekers  from  that  city  until 
the  building  of  the  palatial  hotels  on  Minnetonka  attracted  many  to  the  larger 
resort.  White  Bear  was  the  only  lake  resort  that  the  Saint  Paul  hotel  man  knew 
anything  about  when  tourists  desired  to  go  fishing,  because  it  was  not  necessary 
to  go  through  Minneapolis  to  reach  it;  but  White  Bear  is  a beautiful  lake,  and 
now  boasts  of  three  summer  hotels,  accommodating  respectively,  200,  150,  and 
100  guests.  Each  of  these  hotels  has  cottages  on  its  grounds,  so  that  lodgings 
for  aboflt  1,000  in  all  can  be  furnished.  There  are  three  boarding-houses,  a res- 
taurant, three  elegant  club  houses,  a summer  resort  for  religious  gatherings,  and 
about  thirty  summer  cottages.  A handsome  steamer  will  carry  about  200  pas- 
sengers, and  the  two  row  and  sail-boat  fleets  include  nearly  a hundred  boats. 

The  Saint  Paul  and  Duluth  Railway  is  the  only  railway  to  White  Bear,  and 
this  season,  if  we  are  to  rely  on  the  assertions  of  hotel  keepers,  the  management 
has  not  catered  as  much  as  usual  to  the  tourists’  trade.  Six  trains  daily  have 
been  run  from  Saint  Paul  and  two  from  Minneapolis,  including  the  through  trains 
to  Duluth  and  those  to  Stillwater  and  Taylor’s  Falls,  and  the  passenger  traffic  is 
said  to  be  decreasing.  Probably  about  20,000  persons  is  a large  estimate  of  the 
visitors  to  White  Bear  this  season,  including  those  to  Mahtomedi  Assembly 
■Grounds. 

No  effort  has  been  made  of  late  years  to  extend  the  hotel  accommodations  here 
to  keep  up  with  the  advancement  of  the  country,  and  hence  Minnetonka,  by  its 
superior  beauty,  the  large  extent  of  its  water  surface,  and  the  magnificent  hotels, 
steamers  and  railways  are  capturing  the  lion’s  share  of  the  trade  ; so  that  even 
the  Saint  Paul  hotel-keeper  has  become  painfully  aware  of  the  fact  that  there  is 
a lake  known  as  Minnetonka. 

With  the  exception  of  White  Bear,  Saint  Paul  has  no  resort  that  is  popular 
enough  to  take  the  trade  of  the  masses,  either  of  rich  or  poor.  Elmo,  which  rose 
in  a blaze  of  glory  under  Stickney’s  administration  of  the  lower  route  ” to  Still- 


74 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


water,  had  one  season  of  popularity  with  its  “ lodge,”  but  subsided  afterwards 
into  a bathing  place,  and  the  effort  was  made  to  recover  the  losses  in  the  hotel 
business  by  running  “ bathing  trains  ” from  the  city  every  evening.  It  was  soon 
found,  however,  that  the  masses  of  Saint  Paul  did  not  take  to  water  kindly,  and 
Elmo  Lodge  was  converted  into  a.  saloon. 

MINNEHAHA  FALLS. 

One  of  the  delightful  resorts  of  Minneapolis  people,  and  of  tourists  who  stop- 
at  Minneapolis  hotels,  is  Minnehaha.  Here  a fine  hotel  is  located,  mainly  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  drive  down  and  wish  to  obtain  refreshments.  The  cas- 
cade retains  all  the  beauty  for  which  it  has  become  famous,  and  is  visited  an- 
nually by  thousands  of  people,  who  reach  it  from  Minneapolis  via  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  & St.  Paul  Railway  or  the  Motor  line  on  frequent  trains.  Many  ga 
by  carriage,  as  it  is  a very  pleasant  drive  of  about  four  miles,  and  they  are  thus- 
enabled  to  visit 

FORT  SNELLING. 

This  is  the  oldest  fort  in  the  Northwest,  and  a very  interesting  place  to  pass 
away  a few  hours.  The  government  has  expended  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  improving  this  sightly  place,  which  commands  a view  of  the  Minne- 
sota river  as  it  comes  down  the  Minnesota  valley,  and  the  Mississippi  after  it 
has  turned  the  magnificent  mill  machinery  of  Minneapolis,  the  two  rivers  form- 
ing a junction  at  the  foot  of  the  picturesque  old  fort.  The  Department  of  Da- 
kota, Gen.  Terry  in  command,  has  headquarters  here.  .All  this  natural  scenery 
of  exceptional  beauty  and  the  government  improvements  have  made  Fort  Snell- 
ing  a park  suburb  of  Minneapolis.  This  excites  the  envy  and  cupidity  of  the 
capital  city,  and  it  is  now  urged  at  the  War  Department  and  on  congress  that, 
the  Department  of  Dakota  be  removed  to  St.  Paul , the  fine  new  government 
buildings  and  the  fort  abandoned,  and  the  government  urged  to  spend 
a half  a million  or  more  money  for  headquarters  in  St.  Paul, 
less  than  six  miles  from  where  the  former  lavish  expenditure  was  made.  There 
is  neither  economy,  nor  military  necessity,  nor  public  convenience  to  support 
such  a proposition — nothing  but  the  general  want-the-earth  policy  indicated  in 
so  many  other  instances. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  FAUL  COMPARED. 


75 


MISCELLANEOUS  COMPARISONS. 


REAL  ESTATE. 


To  compare  a mountain  to  a molehill  is  a gross  injustice  to  the  mountain. 
Even  so  is  it  an  injustice  to  Minneapolis  to  compare  her  magnificent  real  estate 
record  for  the  past  four  years  with  the  comparatively  puny  showing  of  St.  Paul. 
Minneapolis  stands  ready  to  compare  notes  on  real  estate  matters  with  any  city 
of  twice  her  size  and  age  in  the  country,  but  is  really  ashamed  to  have  her  giant 
figures  laid  up  alongside  the  St.  Paul  dwarfs.  For  the  sake  of  shedding  a little 
of  that  electric  light  which  Ajax  defied  upon  the  situation,  however,  Minneapolis- 
has  consented  to  make  a martyr  of  herself  and  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag.  It 
relieves  the  case  somewhat  for  both  the  mountain  and  Minneapolis  (the  two  are 
synonomous)  to  call  it  a contrast  instead  of  a comparison.  Here  it  is  in  all  its- 
awfulness,  year  by  year,  in  parallel  columns,  the  number  of  deeds  filed  and  the 


total  consideration  involved: 
1881. 

1882. 

1883. 

1884. 

No. 

Minneapolis 5,902 

St,  Paul 2,881 

Amount. 

§8,425,345 

4,345,991 

No. 

7,811 

4,447 

Amount. 

§19,161,294 

9,354,841 

O Hi  1 
. <M  1 

o^!00-  1 

Amount. 

§28,305,550 

12,981,331 

No. 

8,862 

5,128 

Amount. 
§25, 008, 44S 
8,359,521 

Minn’p’lis  surplus  3,021 

§4,079,354 

3,364 

§9,806,453 

5,346 

§15,324,219 

3,743 

§16,648,922 

The  above  broadside  may  be  summed  up  in  condensed  form,  for  popular  use,, 
as  follows: 


Minneapolis 


Total  amount  4 years $80,900,632 

Total  number  4 years 32,795 

Average  amount  each  year . . . $20,225,158 
Average  number  each  year. . . 8,199 


St,  Paul. 
$35,041,684 
17,330 
$8,760,421 
4,332 


Difference. 

$45,858,948 

15,465 

$11,464,737 

3,867 


Comments  are  not  necessary.  Those  are  the  kind  of  figures  that,  like  G. 
Washington’s  hatchet,  cannot  lie,  for  they  are  the  cast-iron  official  figures  fur- 
nished by  the  records  of  the  register  of  deeds  in  each  instance  and  transcribed 
from  that  great  statistical  bureau,  the  Pioneer  Press.  Neither  the  Pioneer  Press 
nor  the  St.  Paul  Chamber  of  Commerce  had  any  chance  to  “ manipulate”  them. 
They  come  fresh  and  pure  from  the  fountain  of  fact.  Let  us  see  just  what  a tale 
hey  tell.  Minneapolis’  real  estate  transactions  from  1881  to  1884,  inclusive,  ex. 
ceeded  in  money  valuation  those  of  St.  Paul  by  $45,858,948,  and  on  the  average 


76 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


■each  year  the  excess  in  favor  of  Minneapolis  was  $11,464,737.  St.  Paul’s  total 
is  $10,000,000  less  than  one-half  that  of  Minneapolis.  In  the  number  of  deeds 
filed  the  ratio  is  just  about  two  to  one.  In  1883  and  1884  Minneapolis  filed 
1,752  more  deeds  than  did  St.  Paul  in  the  entire  four  years.  Minneapolis’  small- 
est year  and  her  heaviest  added  give  a total  valuation  exceeding  by  $1,689,221, 
the  grand  total  of  St.  Paul  for  the  four  years.  In  1883  alone  the  Minneapolis 
total  exceeds  by  $6,000,000  St.  Paul’s  aggregate  for  1884,  1882  and  1881,  and 
her  1884  total  exceeds  the  same  by  $3,000,000.  In  1883  and  1884  together 
Minneapolis  did  more  real  estate  business  by  $18,000,000  than  St.  Paul  in  the 
four  years.  But  why  extend  the  contrast? 

As  has  been  suggested,  these  are  figures  that  stand  for  facts,  great  cold  ice- 
bergs, freezing  the  vitals  of  the  St.  Paul  duplicators.  But,  of  course,  they  must 
■evolve  some  theory  to  explain  away  the  terrible  discrepancy.  That  theory  is 
this:  that  all  Minneapolis  deeds  are  fictitious  and  all  St.  Paul  transactions  bona 
fide!  The  Pioneer  Press  has  insinuated  this  by  dark  and  devious  inuendoes, 
and  other  papers  and  persons  have  loudly  proclaimed  the  theory.  Everybody 
who  knows  anything  knows  that  this  is  nonsense.  In  all  offices  there  are  some 
deeds  put  on  record  that  do  not  represent  actual  money  passed,  but  there  is 
nothing  to  prove  that  there  are  any  more  such  deeds  filed  in  Minneapolis  than  in 
St.  Paul.  It  is  merely  the  drowning  man  clutching  at  a straw,  and  a poor,  sickly 
straw  at  that. 

Only  one  word  more.  Those  figures  speak  volumes  for  Minneapolis’  stand- 
ing in  the  business  world.  Those  millions,  to  a great  extent,  represent  the 
wealth  of  the  East  that,  flowing  westward  in  search  of  safe  and  profitable  chan- 
nels of  investment,  has  poured  into  Minneapolis,  as  the  great  metropolitan  center 
■of  the  Northwest,  with  a magnificent  future  before  her.  The  shrewd  eastern 
business  man  has  no  prejudices  for  or  against  either  or  any  city.  He  is  simply 
looking  for  the  best  field  in  which  to  sow  his  accumulated  capital,  with  certain 
prospect  for  a rich  harvest.  He  seems  to  have  seen  that  field  in  Minneapolis, 
and  he  did  not  have  to  open  more  than  half  an  eye  to  see  it  either. 

Our  St.  Paul  friends  say:  “Oh  yes,  Minneapolis  had  a little  boom  in  real 
estate  for  a few  months.  She  went  up  like  a rocket,  and  is  coming  down  like  a 
stick.”  The  figures  do  not  look  very  “sticky,  ” however.  The  rocket  appears 
to  be  sailing  majestically  heavenward  still,  and  it  is  barely  possible  that  the 
St.  Paul  astronomers  have  made  a mistake,  and  that  the  Minneapolis  real  estate 
boom  is  a comet,  with  a never-ending  orbit  and  a distressingly  long  tail.  Our 
unsophisticated  ancestors  looked  upon  comets  with  holy  horror.  St.  Paul  is 
several  centuries  behind  the  times  in  real  estate,  and  it  is  not  strange  that  her 
citizens  gaze  upon  the  Minneapolis  comet  in  fear  and  trembling.  The  records 
for  the  year  1385,  while  still  incomplete,  show  that  there  is  no  material  change 
in  the  ratio  of  the  two  cities.  At  the  rate  the  returns  have  come  in,  Minne- 
apolis will  score  about  $25,000,000  and  St.  Paul  about  $11,000,000. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


77 


THE  BUILDING  OPERATIONS  OE  THE  TWO  CITIES. 


Minneapolis  is  a great  builder.  In  the  past  four  years  she  has  erected  tea 
thousand  buildings  at  a cost  of  over  $30,000,000.  St.  Paul  has  put  up  several 
quite  substantial  structures  during  that  time;  in  fact  has  made  a very  creditable 
record,  all  things  considered.  In  the  building  line  Minneapolis  began  to  walk 
away  from  her  sister  about  five  years  ago,  and  has  held  the  lead  easily  and 
increasingly.  In  nothing  has  St.  Paul’s  struggle  to  keep  up  with  the  procession, 
been  more  determined  and  desperate.  Every  sort  of  stratagem  has  been  resorted 
to  to  make  it  appear  that  there  was  not  here  as  everywhere  else  a gradually 
widening  gulf  between  the  two  cities.  In  order  to  give  a fair  exhibit  of  the 
actual  building  status  it  will  be  necessary  to  expose  some  of  these  stratagems  in 
detail.  The  Pioneer  Press  is  taken  as  authority  throughout.  That  great  simul- 
taneous straddler  has  been  engaged  in  the  herculean  labor  of  convincing  the 
world  that  the  two  cities  have  been  “neck  and  neck”  in  this  race,  and  for  one 
year  even  had  the  consummate  audacity  to  make  out  that  St.  Paul  was  a few 
thousand  dollars  ahead.  Even  according  to  its  own  showing,  however,  Minne- 
apolis has  a clean  lead  of  $2,000,000  for  the  four  years,  as  is  shown  by  the  fol- 
owing  tables: 


1881 

Minneapolis $5,064,500 

St.  Paul 4,571,700 


1882 

$8,242,825 

8,470,500 


1883 

$9,390,450 

8,103,950 


1884 

$7,621,950 

7,266,477 


Differences 


$ 492,800  $ 227,675  $1,286,500 


$ 355,475 


SUMMARY. 


’MinrtPfinnTi  c 

Total  expenditure,  four  years $30,319,725 

Total  number  buildings,  four  years . 9,744 

Average  yearly  expenditure $ 7,579,931 

Average  number  buildings  each  year  2,436 


St.  Paul.  Difference. 

$28,412,627  $1,907,098 

9,535  209 

$ 7,103,157  $ 476,774 

2,383  53 


This  showing  for  Minneapolis  is  probably  approximately  correct.  It  is  safe  to 
assume  that  it  is  sufficiently  low.  The  records  appear  to  have  been  made  on  a 
conservative  but  fair  and  honest  basis,  with  system  and  precision  in  compilation. 
The  operations  of  each  year  are  figured  so  as  to  cover  only  the  actual  work  of 
that  year,  and  duplications  and  exaggerations  consistently  avoided.  Even  a 
casual  examination  of  the  St.  Paul  records  reveals  some  of  the  grossest  frauds- 


78 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


ever  perpetrated  in  the  annals  of  annual  exhibits.  A detailed  analysis  shows 
that  the  compilations  were  made  with  just  one  end  in  view,  to  catch  up  with 
Minneapolis,  and  one,  just  one,  grand  principle,  to  run  in  everything  in  sight 
every  year,  at  a good  sized  premium  on  its  full  value.  Classification  and  system 
have  been  religiously  avoided,  so  as  to  cover  up  as  far  as  possible  the  mammoth 
frauds.  Duplications  in  the  single  records  and  in  the  successive  annual  exhibits 
are  as  numerous  as  sands  on  the  seashore.  A few  instances,  taken  from  an 
endless  variety,  will  serve  to  indicate  the  methods  pursued. 

Commodore  Kittson  has  a rather  nice  and  somewhat  expensive  residence  on 
Summit  avenue.  The  St.  Paul  statistician  has  found  it  a rich  bonanza.  He 
worked  it  for  $100,000,  in  1881;  $150,000,  in  1882;  $50,000,  in  1883,  and  the 
same  in  1884.  In  his  introduction  for  1882,  the  statistician  says  this  residence 
will  probably  cost  fully  $165,000  or  $175,000  when  entirely  finished.  That  state- 
ment is  probably  correct;  and  yet  he  has  mado  it  cost  the  poor  Commodore 
$350,000.  We  will  allow  him  $25,000  more  than  his  maximum  figure,  and  still 
must  dock  him  a cool  $150,000.  Again:  St.  Paul  has  a workhouse  which  its 
superintendent  reports  a3  costing  $75,000,  all  told.  According  to  the  Pioneer 
Press  showing  this  building  has  cost.  $395,000;  the  record  being  as  follows: 
1882,  $300,000;  1883,  $50,000;  1884,  $45,000,  This  is  the  banner  fraud.  It  will 
be  observed  that  in  1882,  St.  Paul’s  total  exceeds  that  of  Minneapolis  by  $227,000. 
This  single  item  of  the  workhouse  wipes  out  that  excess,  and  making  allowance 
for  a few  other  similar  items  would  give  Minneapolis  a surplus  of  over  half  a 
million.  Once  more:  St.  Paul  happens  to  be  the  State  capital.  In  the  stately 
structure  designed  by  a Minneapolis  architect,  and  paid  for  largely  by  Minne- 
apolis money,  the  building  boomer  saw  his  opportunity  again.  He  improves  it 
as  follows:  1881,  $225,000;  1882,  $200,000;  1883,  $25,000;  1884,  $4,000:  total, 
$454,000.  The  total  appropriation  by  the  legislature  lor  the  capilol,  including 
furnishing,  was  $350,000.  Dock  $100,000  more!  St.  Paul  has  a neat,  new  grand 
opera  house,  which  may,  possibly,  have  cost  $100,000.  Concede  it  $150,000,  and 
the  St.  Paul  statistician  has  just  doubled  on  us,  as  follows:  1882,  $100,000,  1883, 
$200,000.  Four  or  five  large  residences  have  been  in  process  of  erection  on 
Summit  avenue  for  the  past  three  or  four  years,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  be 
completed  before  the  end  of  the  century.  The  budding  reviewer  has  made  good 
use  of  them  every  year,  and  got  credit  for  over  $ 100,000  more  than  they  can  pos- 
sibly cost  their  owners.  The  Germ  an- American  Bank  building  is  a handsome 
structure,  and  may  have  cost  what  its  owners  report,  $150,000.  The  Pioneer 
Press  has  charged  them  $250,000  for  it.  The  frauds  have  been  carried  even  into 
the  sacred  city  of  the  dead,  and  a mortuary  chapel  that  could  not  have  cost  over 
$25,000  is  booked  for  $f,6,000!  Nay,  even  the  sanctuary  was  not  secure  against 
the  desperate  invader.  Several  churches  are  in  for  their  full  value  two  or  three 
times.  He  could  not  even  thus  find  enough  inside  the  St.  Paul  city  limits  to 
satisfy  his  g eed,  and  so  sallied  forth  and  took  a $25,030  building  at  Macalester 
College  (built  by  Minneapolis  money),  a $10,000  club  house  at  White  Bear,  and 
an  $8,000  hotel  at  Red  Rock. 

These  few  samples  indicate  sufficiently  the  reliability  of  these  records,  and 
the  list  might  be  extended  indefinitely.  The  following  is  a list  of  some  of  the 
more  noticeable  of  these  extravagancies,  the  amounts  given  being  the  differences 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST  PAUL  COMPARED. 


<? 

79 


between  the  maximum  value  of  the  building's  and  the  amounts  lor  which  they 
have  been  worked  in  the  Pioneer  Press  reviews: 


Workhouse,  three  years $ 300,000 

Grand  Opera  House,  two  years 150,000 

Building  Society  duplications 150,000 

Davidson’s  Blocks,  three  years . 150,000 

Mannehimer  Block,  two  years 110,000 

Merriam,  Bass  & Bishop  block,  two  years 105,000 

Summit  avenue  residences,  four  years , 100,000 

Kittson's  residence,  four  years 150,000 

Germ  an- American  bank,  two  years 100,000 

State  Capitol,  four  years 100,000 

Willius-Weed  block,  two  years 95,000 

Northern  Pacific  building,  two  years 95,000 

Drake  block,  two  years 60,000 

Milwaukee  freight  house,  two  years 60,000 

Mrs.  J.  E.  Thompson’s  block,  two  years 50,000 

West-side  Cottage  Company 50,000 

Knauft  block,  two  years 45,000 

High  School,  three  years 30,000 

Macalester  College  (outside  city ) 25,000 

Geo.  Mitsch  block,  two  years 22,000 

Mortuary  chapel,  two  years 20,000 

E.  A.  Fogg’s  residence,  two  years 20,000 

D.  C.  Shepard’s  residence,  two  years 15,000 

Schurmeier’s  block,  two  years 15,000 

Kiefer-Macklett  block,  two  years 15,000 

J.  W.  Lusk’s  residence,  two  years 10,000 

White  Bear  club  house  (outside  city) 10,000 

Birchard-McGrath  block,  two  years 10,000 

Jewish  synagogue 9,000 

Ked  Rock  hotel  (outside  city) 8,000 


Total $ 2,079,000 


This  amount,  $2,079,000,  should  therefore  be  deducted  from  the  four  years’ 
total  given  in  the  first  table,  reducing  it  to  $26,833,627.  A few  more  allowances 
being  made  we  shall  get  down  to  a working  basis  for  comparison.  Careful  study 
of  the  entire  records  and  computations  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  on  the  average 
the  figures  throughout  the  Saint  Paul  review  are  ten  per  cent,  in  excess  of  the 
actual  values.  Close  comparisons  of  the  records  show  that  in  addition  to  the 
items  mentioned  above  there  are  duplications  from  year  to  year  amounting  to 
fully  $200,000,  and  duplications  in  single  reviews  amounting  to  $225,000.  A 
single  instance  of  the  iatter  class  may  be  mentioned.  In  one  year’s  review  the 
various  loan  societies  are  credited  with  buildings  costing  $150,000.  Now  there 
is  no  doubt  whatever  that  every  one  of  those  buildings  had  been  reckoned  else- 
where under  the  name  of  the  individual  builder.  Summing  up  all  the  amounts 
that  should  be  deducted  as  fraudulent,  gives  the  following  : 


From  itemized  showing  $2,079,000 

Other  duplications  from  year  to  year 200,000 

Duplications  in  single  records 225,000 

Ten  per  cent,  discount  on  boom  figures 2,600,000 

Total 5,104,000 


80 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


This  gives  the  revised  comparison  for  the  two  cities  as  follows  : 

Minneapolis $30,319,725 

Saint  Paul $28,412,627  — $5,104,000  = 23,308,627 

Minneapolis  over  Saint  Paul 7,011,098 

In  making  these  calculations  Saint  Paul  has  always  been  given  the  benefit 
of  the  doubt,  and  the  total  could  easily  have  swelled  to  $10,000,000  in  a less  con- 
servative com  putation.  There  are  some  exceedingly  amusing  things  about  these 
padded  records.  A careful  reckoning  of  the  number  of  houses  in  West  Saint 
Paul,  given  elsewhere,  shows  that  there  are  1,385  of  them.  We  learn  from  the 
Saint  Paul  building  reviews  that  in  the  last  four  years  there  have  been  erected  in 
West  Saint  Paul  1,521  residences,  exclusive  of  stores  and  other  buildings.  That 
is,  supposing  there  was  not  a house  in  West  Saint  Paul  in  1880,  there  had  been 
erected  up  to  January  1,  18S5,  136  more  houses  than  can  now  be  found.  The 
question  naturally  arises,  where  are  those  136  houses,  and  what  has  become  of 
the  several  hundred  that  were  supposed  to  have  been  built  up  to  1880  ? The 
total  cost  of  the  West  Saint  Paul  residences  for  the  four  years  is  placed  at  $1,- 
500,000.  This  would  make  the  1,500  new  residences  cost  on  the  average  $1,000. 
Now,  any  blind  man  who  ever  entered  the  Elysian  fields  of  West  Saint  Paul  could 
not  fail  to  observe  that  two-thirds  of  the  houses  are,  in  plain  Anglo-Saxon, 
shinties,  costing  on  the  average  less  than  $300.  Throughout  the  city  hundreds 
of  2 by  4 shanties  have  been  counted  as  $800  and  $1,000  residences. 

It  is  costly  business  to  project  a building  in  Saint  Paul.  In  the  1883  record 
appears  the  following  item : 

“ Noyes  Brothers  & Cutler,  projected — $10,000.” 

It  cost  $10,000  to  ‘ project  ’ an  $8, 000-building.  It  is  expensive  even  to  de- 
cide upon  a building  in  Saint  Paul.  It  cost  the  county  $5,000  to  decide  to  put 
up  a public  building.  In  the  1883  record  appears  this: 

“ County  building  decided  upon;  to  be  built  as  soon  as  possible — $5,000.” 

It  is  a noticeable  fact  that  the  Minneapolis  review  has  appeared  first  every 
year  except  one.  In  that  year,  1883,  Minneapolis  towers  over  Saint  Paul  by  a 
million  and  a half.  The  inference  is  inevitable.  The  Saint  Paul  records  read 
as  though  the  compiler  having  piled  in  everything  he  could  find,  would  ascend 
to  the  summit  of  one  of  her  beautiful  hills  on  a clear  day,  and  count  every  new 
shingle  he  could  get  sight  of,  and  run  in  an  entry  like  this,  which  appears  in  the 
’82  review:  “ Actually  counted  dwellings  in  Saint  Paul  proper,  and  west  and 
southwest  of  the  Manitoba  elevator,  144;  value,  $177,920.” 

On  the  whole,  the  Pioneer  Press  and  Saint  Paul  certainly  have  reason  to  be 
proud  of  their  building  record,  and  Minneapolis  need  not  be  ashamed  that  a fair 
reckoning  of  her  building  operations  overtops  such  a hollow  mockery  of  an  ex- 
hibit by  a clean  $2,000,000. 

The  year  1885  is  repeating  the  record  of  its  four  predecessors.  The  building 
inspectors’  records  of  the  two  cities,  supposed  to  be  official,  give  Minneapolis  a 
total  up  to  October  1,  about  $2,000,000  in  excess  of  Saint  Paul.  It  will  be  inter- 
esting to  see  how  the  PioneerPress  gets  rid  of  that  $2,000,000. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PALL  COMPARED. 


81 


THE  STREET  RAILWAY  SYSTEM  IN  BOTH  CITIES. 


No  where  else  is  the  contrast  between  the  two  cities  shown  more  sharply  than 
in  the  street  railway  systems  of  the  two  cities.  TheDsainLPauLxoad^  has  been 
in  operation  the  longest,  but  its  existence  was  feeble  and  its  service  unsatisfac- 
tory until  it  was  purchased  by  the  enterprising  citizen  of  Minneapolis  who  had 
made  the  system  in  Minneapolis  a success.  A few  figures  only  are  necessary  to 
show  the  extent  to  which  street  railroads  have  been  developed  in  both  cities.  The 
Minneapolis  Street  Railway  Company  has  now  in  operation  about  forty-seven 
miles  of  track;  the  Saint  Paul  Street  Railway  Company  about  twenty-five  miles 
The  Minneapolis  Street  Railway  Company  operates  regularly  seventy-eight 
cars,  and  in  1885  will  carry  ten  million  people.  The  Saint  Paul  company  oper- 
ates regularly  thirty-seven  cars,  and  will  carry  during  1885  about  five  million 
people.  Of  course,  the  months  of  September,  October,  November,  and  Decem- 
ber must  be  estimated,  but  the  above  figures  will  fall  below  rather  than  above 
the  mark.  The  rapid  extension  of  the  system  in  both  cities  has  been  due  largely 
to  the  rapid  development  of  the  outlying  lots  and  residence  territory.  Espec- 
ially has  this  been  the  case  in  Minneapolis,  where  the  settlement  of  new  additions 
has  demanded  and  made  profitable  the  extension  of  the  street  railway  lines;  and 
by  way  of  reciprocation,  the  railroad  has  greatly  assisted  in  building  up  the  new 
territory.  The  appearance  of  what  a few  years  ago  consisted  of  prairie  and  wide 
stretches  of  verdant  green  sward,  nature’s  own  park,  has  been  entirely  changed 
by  the  street  railway  to  densely-peopled  neighborhoods  with  hundreds  of  cot- 
tages and  homes  here  and  there  interspersed  with  churches  and  school  houses. 
It  is  an  evidence  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  and  of  great  foresight  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Lowry,  to  whose  efforts  the  extension  of  the  street  railway  system  is  due. 
President  Lowry  will  undoubtedly  extend  the  system  in  Saint  Paul  as  rapidly  as 
the  growth  of  the  city  will  justify,  and  important  extensions  are  under  considera- 
tion, but  no  one  who  understands  the  situation  in  both  cities  will  for  an  instant 
doubt  that  the  necessities  in  Minneapolis  will  keep  ahead  of  Saint  Paul  in 
the  extension  of  the  railway  system. 

FIRE  INSURANCE. 

The  amount  of  fire  insurance  placed  on  buildings  in  cities  is  a fair  indication 
of  the  value  of  buildings.  An  expert  insurance  man  thus  states  the  amount  of 
premiums  paid  in  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  annually; 

Minneapolis,  board  companies $650,000 

“ non-board  companies 125,000 

« $775,000 

St.  Paul,  board  companies $375,000 

“ non-board  companies 75,000 


$450,000 


82 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


Showing  that  Minneapolis  pays  annually  $325,000  more  fire  insurance  pre- 
miums than  St.  Paul.  This  is  in  accord  with  the  record  of  her  real  and  per- 
sonal property  valuations. 

Minneapolis  has  over  nine  miles  of  street  paving,  six  miles  of  sewers,  and 
thirty-seven  miles  of  sidewalks,  of  which  about  nine  miles  are  of  stone.  St. 
Paul  has  less  than  six  miles  of  street  paving,  although  the  streets  in  St.  Paul 
are  much  narrower  than  in  Minneapolis.  St.  Paul  has  four  and  a half  miles  of 
sewers,  twenty-two  miles  of  sidewalks. 

LIGHTING  THE  TWO  CITIES. 

The  amount  and  kind  of  light  consumed  in  the  two  cities  is  a point  in  favor  of 
Minneapolis.  The  secretary  of  the  Minnesota  Brush  Electric  Company,  Mr. 
Thos.  S.  King,  furnishes  the  following  statement  in  regard  to  the  amount  of 
electric  light  used  in  Minneapolis: 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Sept.  1st,  1885. 

Our  lighting  station  is  a brick  and  stone  building,  60x140  feet,  basement  and 
one  story.  Our  power  plant  consists  of  three  Reynolds-Corliss’  condensing  en- 
gines, aggregating  700-horse  power.  We  have  dynamos  with  an  aggregate 
capacity  of  about  500  arc  lights  of  2,000  candle  power  each,  and,  including  city 
lights  ordered,  shall  operate  450  of  said  lights  through  about  100  miles  of  cir- 
cuit wire,  reaching  almost  to  the  city  limits  in  either  direction.  Our  business  is 
growing  rapidly,  and  the  indications  are  that  we  shall  double  the  capacity  of 
our  electrical  plant,  with  a corresponding  increase  in  power  plant  during  the 
next  year. 

We  have  exclusive  control  of  the  Brush-Swan  system  in  this  state,  have  fur- 
nished incandescent  plants  to  the  Washburn  Mill  Co.  (Palisade  mill)  and  the 
city,  at  the  city  hall,  and  this  branch  of  business  is  growing  rapidly.  We  also 
furnished  the  electric  light  plant  at  the  West  Hotel,  and  wired  the  hotel 
throughout  for  the  Swan  incandescent  light. 

Yours  very  truly. 

T.  S.  KING,  Secretary. 

Besides  what  is  stated  above,  it  may  be  noted  that  Minneapolis  has  the  tallest 
electric  light  mast  in  the  world  (257  feet),  which  lights  up  Bridge  Square,  the 
Union  Depot,  Nicollet  Island,  the  bridges  and  the  river  for  a mile  of  the  city 
front. 

St.  Paul  has  two  systems  of  electric  lighting,  the  United  States  and  the  Fuller, 
the  1 dter  under  control  of  the  St.  Paul  Gas  Company.  Together  these  two  com- 
panies have  a dynamo  capacity  of  285  arc  lights  of  2,000  candle  power.  The  St. 
Paul  Opera  House  has  400  incandescents,  the  Ryan  Hotel  has  425.  St.  Paul 
also  has  an  electric  light  mast  125  feet  high. 

Nine  years  ago  St.  Paul  was  burning  twice  as  much  gas  as  Minneapolis.  Two 
years  ago  Minneapolis  caught  up  with  St.  Paul  in  this  respect,  and  burned 
3,000,000  feet  more  than  St.  Paul.  Minneapolis  now  consumes  more  than  15, 
000,000  feet  more  than  St.  Paul,  and  is  increasing  the  difference  between  the 
two  cities  every  month.  Minneapolis  has  forty-six  miles  of  gas  n^pns;  St.  Paul 
has  less  than  forty  miles.  It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  exact  amount  of  gas 
burned  in  each  city,  as  each  gas  company  is  unwilling  that  the  figures  should  be 
made  public.  The  above  figures,  however,,  are  known  by  every  gas  expert  to 
be  conect. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


a3 


It  is  a notorious  fact,  also,  that  the  electric  light  system  in  Minneapolis  is  bet- 
ter than  that  in  St.  Paul,  and  that  Minneapolis  gas  is  much  superior  to  that 
furnished  in  the  latter — and  smaller  city. 

The  amount  of  telegraph  tolls  paid  in  at  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  we  are  not 
allowed  to  make  public,  but  it  is  well  known  that,  as  between  the  two  cities, 
Minneapolis  pays  about  one-third  more  telegraph  tolls  than  St.  Paul. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  telephone  business,  only  more  so.  Minneapolis  has 
1,157  telephone  subscribers,  St.  Paul  679. 

The  American  District  Telegraph  Company  in  Minneapolis  employs  22  mes- 
sengers, and  also  keep  track  of  54  night  watchmen  of  different  firms.  It  is  the 
only  company  using  the  Gamewell  fire  alarm. 

The  St.  Paul  District  Telegraph  Company  employs  ten  messengers,  and  has  no 
connection  with  the  fire  department. 


TWO  WAYS  OF  DOING  THINGS. 


The  completeness  of  public  and  commercial  reports  in  the  two  cities  is  an- 
other matter  for  comparison,  and  the  showing  is  far  from  creditable  to  St.  Paul. 
In  the  matter  of  official  city  reports,  Minneapolis  has  her  business  regularly  bal- 
anced, and  the  annual  reports  of  her  officers  furnish  the  means  of  information 
to  anybody  who  wishes  to  obtain  a knowledge  of  city  affairs.  From  official  re- 
ports a recent  collector  of  statistics  made  up  tables  as  follows: 


PERMANENT  PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS. 


Streets  imp.  and  sewers 

Real  estate 

Fire  department 

Water  works 

School  property 

Parks 

Total 


Minneapolis. 

$1,764,055 

110,050 

189,186 

906,726 

897,559 

595,000 


$4,462,767 


St.  Paul. 


202,357 

1,272,800 

514.500 

142.500 


$2,132,157 


And  this  was  as  far  as  official  figures  were  obtainable  in  St.  Paul.  The  Board 
of  Public  Works  has  no  record  other  than  its  minutes,  and  the  compiler,  after 
several  abortive  efforts  to  find  out  what  St.  Paul  really  had  in  the  way  of  prop- 
erty, was  compelled  to  drop  that  city  from  his  tables.  Fifteen  minutes  gave 
him  an  official  inventory  of  everything  belonging  to  the  city  of  Minneapolis. 

Again,  the  reports  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  cities  show  vastly 
different  methods.  The  Minneapolis  body  prints  its  figures  of  trade  without 


84 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


argument;  a stranger  can  readily  discover  the  total  business  in  any  one  line, 
and  the  grand  total  of  business  transactions,  without  trouble.  If  an  estimate  is 
necessary,  the  report  gives  it  as  an  estimate  and  leaves  it.  On  the  contrary,  we 
take  the  last  report  of  the  St.  Paul  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  find  it  made  up 
of  argumentative  misstatements,  mingled  with  commercial  figures  in  a manner 
to  mislead  the  reader.  Paying  no  attention  to  accuracy  of  figures,  the  report 
contains  statements  like  these:  “ The  banking  capital  of  St.  Paul  exceeds  that 
of  all  the  rest  of  the  state  put  together!"  “ St.  Paul  is  the  most  healthy  city  in 
the  Union,”  etc.  It  claims  to  rival  Chicago  as  a lumber  mart,  but  includes  its 
lumber  in  a list  of  miscellaneous  manufactured  articles  valued  at  $1,574,000.  It 
devotes  pages  to  the  railroads  of  the  city,  but  does  not  give  a figure  showing 
the  carrying  traffic  handled  by  them.  It  gives  the  official  valuation  of  realty 
lor  1884  as  $60,926,163,  when  it  was  in  fact  only  $46,579,735.  And  after  the 
whole  report  is  examined,  no  idea  of  the  business  of  St.  Paul  can  be  gathered, 
except  in  its  banking  and  jobbing  trade.  This  same  body  has  lent  its  name  to 
the  most  atrocious  of  “reports,”  which  have  been  circulated  broadcast,  and 
which  are  more  fully  exposed  in  other  portions  of  this  book.  And  all  of  this  is 
in  a book  supplemented  by  a sensational  appendix,  dated  July  1,  1885,  in  which 
is  laid  out  an  estimate  (?)  of  the  business  of  1885,  with  the  apparent  intention 
of  making  a report  in  December  which  shall  proye  that  the  estimate  (?)  afore- 
said was  remarkably  accurate. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPARED. 


85 


POINTS  OF  DIFFERENCE  SUMMED  UP. 


Minneapolis  is  clearly  the  larger  and  wealthier  city;  it  is  so  much  the  larger, 
and  its  growth  is  so  much  more  rapid  than  Saint  Paul,  that  the  disproportion  be- 
tween the  two  cities  is  becoming  more  evident  in  general  and  in  detail  in  every  re- 
curring annual  and  quinquennial  official  return  or  enumeration  of  the  resources 
and  numerical  strength  of  the  population.  The  makeshifts  of  city  limits  exten- 
sion, and  the  systematic  concealment  of  public  information  coupled  with  preten- 
tious assumption  of  equality  with  Minneapolis  is  finally  becoming  understood. 
The  story  which  careful  and  experienced  observers  carry  away  after  an  examina- 
tion of  both  cities  is  uniformly  the  same — that  they  are  both  active  and  prosper- 
ous; they  are  both  marvels  of  enterprise;  that  they  together  form  one  controll- 
ing influence  in  the  traffic  and  manufacturing  marts  of  this  continent,  but  in  ad- 
dition to  all  this,  and  comparing  one  with  the  other,  as  must  invariably  be  done, 
that  Minneapolis  has,  and  finally,  and  far  outstripped  her  rival.  For  pointing 
to  the  details,  the  visitor  is  confronted  with  these  wonderful  facts,  which,  when 
summed  up  decide  the  controversy  clearly  on  its  merits. 

Minneapolis  has  the  larger  population,  much  larger  than  has  yet  been  shown 
by  the  census. 

Minneapolis  has  more  residence  houses  (one-fourth  more);  more  stores,  mills 
and  factories,  churches  and  schools,  than  Saint  Paul. 

Minneapolis  has  more  voters  (at  least  10,000  more);  more  public  school  chil- 
dren, and  more  children  in  private  schools,  and  more  people  in  “ sassiety.” 

Minneapolis  is  a richer  city  than  Saint  Paul.  The  real  and  personal  assess- 
ment of  Minneapolis  is  many  millions  more  than  Saint  Paul. 

Minneapolis  has  laid  more  miles  of  street  paving  and  side- walks;  more  miles 
of  sewers  and  water  and  gas  mains. 

Minneapolis  uses  more  water,  gas,  and  electric  light;  more  postal  money- 
orders  and  postal  notes. 

Minneapolis  receives  and  ships  thousands  of  more  freight  every  year. 

Minneapolis  has  the  best  hotel  in  the  United  States,  and  no  hotel  in  Saint 
Paul  can  properly  be  compared  with  it;  and  Minneapolis  has  the  more  extensive 
hotel  accommodations. 

Minneapolis  has  the  finest  park  and  boulevard  system,  and  the  most  agreeable 
and  popular  summer  resorts  of  any  city;  and  in  this  regard  again  Saint  Paul  is 
below  comparison. 

Minneapolis  is  the  healthier  city. 

The  municipal  debt  of  Minneapolis  is  less  in  the  aggregate  and  per  capita; 
the  tax  levy  is  lighter,  and  the  system  of  public  improvements  more  honestly  ad- 
ministered, and  cheaper. 


86 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


Minneapolis  has  more  public  improvements  than  Saint  Paul — has  more  to 
show  for  municipal  expenditure. 

The  bonds  of  Minneapolis  sell  for  a higher  rate  than  those  of  Saint  Paul,  and 
they  are  never  extended. 

Minneapolis  has  more  and  better  manufacturing — we  need  not  enlarge  on 
this — facilities  than  Saint  Paul. 

Minneapolis  has  a much  larger  retail  trade  than  Saint  Paul,  and,  including 
manufactures  jobbed  by  the  mills  and  factories,  more  wholesale  trade. 

Minneapolis  sells  more  real  estate  every  year,  and  sells  it  at  a better  price, 
because  it  is  worth  more,  than  Saint  Paul. 

Minneapolis  builds  more  buildings  every  year,  and  they  are  better  buildings 
— they  average  better — than  St.  Paul. 

Minneapolis  has  a better  system  of  beeping  public  accounts,  and  the  finan- 
cial affairs  of  the  city  are  more  economically  conducted  than  in  St.  Paul. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPAKED. 


87 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 


PUBLIC  SPIRIT  VS.  PUBLIC  MENDICANCY. 


The  temperament  and  public  spirit  of  the  two  cities  is  a subject  of  comment 
and  comparison.  If  a public  enterprise  is  projected  which  does  not  benefit  St. 
Paul  directly,  it  may  be  safely  assumed  that  its  projectors  will  have  up-hill 
work  in  establishing  it,  and,  in  far  too  many  instances,  it  will  meet  with  dis- 
couragement, if  not  direct  opposition.  A few  years  ago  the  territory  between 
Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  was  regarded  as  neutral  ground.  The  Utopians  be- 
lieved it  would  finally  be  absorbed  by  the  two  cities;  but  the  people,  of  whom 
here  were  many  in  each  city,  who  wanted  suburban  homes,  looked  upon  this 
stretch  of  farming  land  as  a proper  p’ace  to  establish  semi-public  institutions  of 
a humane  or  educational  nature.  Having  this  impression  of  the  purpose  o f the 
leading  men  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  concerning  this  inter-urban  tract,  the 
managers  of  the  Hamline  University  located  that  institution  on  a small  part  of 
it,  and  succeeded  in  building  up  a thriving  village  there,  free  from  saloon  and 
other  vicious  influences.  The  people  of  Minneapolis  contributed  five-sixths  of 
the  money  to  build  University  buildings,  and  gave  the  University  its  solid  back- 
ing and  dependence.  Stimulated  by  the  success  of  this  worthy  endeavor,  and 
with  a like  purpose  of  establishing  a college  free  from  the  contaminating  influ- 
ence of  the  “wide-open”  policies  of  the  neighboring  cities,  the  trustees  of  Mac- 
alester  College  located  on  the  same  neutral  ground.  Like  Hamline.  Macalester 
appealed  to  the  people  of  the  cities  for  financial  support,  and  Minneapolis 
responded  cheerfully  with  her  proportion,  St.  Paul,  as  usual,  falling  behind,  and 
lagging  behind.  An  enterprising  land-owner  of  St.  Paul,  whose  deeds  covered 
other  property  in  the  vicinity,  put  it  on  the  market,  grubbed  and  graded  it.  His 
agent  canvassed  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  for  home-buyers,  promising  them  a 
village  organization,  immunity  from  excessive  city  taxation,  and  domestic  con- 
trol of  their  own  affairs.  The  plan  was  a captivating  one,  and  of  those  who  fell 
in  with  it,  built  cottages,  and  moved  their  families,  three-fifths  were  from  Min- 
neapolis, and  all  desired  to  be  left  to  work  out  their  own  municipal  destiny. 

We  say  nothing  more  and  nothing  less  in  regard  to  incorporating  this 
admittedly  neutral  territory,  and  these  prosperous  colleges  and  independent 
villages  into  the  city  limits  of  Saint  Paul,  than  that  it  was  obtaining  the  goods 
under  false  pretenses  and  in  bad  faith.  It  has  failed  to  accomplish  its  immedi- 


88 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


ate  purpose.  The  guaranties  made  by  men  now  living  in  regard  to  domestic 
control  will  be  ignored  when  they  are  dead,  if  not  before.  The  necessities  of 
railroads  for  transfer  and  trackage  facilities,  for  the  joint  use  of  the  two  cities, 
will  fill  the  int  ervemng  territory  with  half-way  houses,  shanty  neighborhoods, 
saloons,  and  a shifting,  irresponsible  population,  recruited  from  the  worst  ele- 
ments of  both  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  The  votes  of  this  class  of  people  will 
be  more  numerous  than  the  thrifty  householders  who  have  built  up  Hamline 
and  Merriam  Park,  more  useful,  and  more  sought  after  by  the  pot-house  variety 
of  ward  politi  ians.  The  baneful  system  of  St.  Paul  municipal  administration 
has  already  changed  the  character  of  the  aspirations  of  the  decent  people  within 
the  new  city  limits.  No  more  such  immigration  can  be  expected.  The  inev- 
itable tendency  will  be  downward,  and  the  indications  plainly  point  to  this  state 
of  things  for  the  future.  It  is  quite  clear  that  the  educational  institutions  must 
move  from  such  an  atmosphere,  and  seek  some  congenial  spot,  like  the  shores 
of  Lake  Calhoun  and  Lake  Harriet,  for  a permanent  home.  The  original  pur- 
pose of  the  neutral  ground  is  changed.  It  is  to  be  switching  ground, 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST  PAUL  CCMPABED. 


89 


THE  FAIR  AND  THE  EXPOSITION. 


Along  with  the  legislative  sanction  of  the  incorporation  of  the  neutral  terri- 
tory was  an  appropriation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  build  buildings 
fora  State  Fair.  While  the  1 egislature  was  in  session  the  County  Commission- 
ers of  Ramsey  County  assembled  in  hot  haste, and  donated  to  the  State  the 
Ramsey  County  Poor  Farm  fora  Slate  Fair  Ground,  upon  the  condition  that 
the  appropriations  were  made  and  the  city  limits  extended  up  to  the  Hennepin 
county  line.  The  experiment  had  been  frequently  made  of  holding  the  State 
Fair  at  St.  Paul,  and  it  had  invariably  resulted  in  failure,  and  in  such  disastrous 
failure  that  the  officers  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society  were  glad  to  escape 
from  so  inhospitable  and  uncongenial  a locality,  and  take  refuge  in  Rochester 
or  Owatonna,  or  anywhere  where  the  local  atmosphere  would  be  helpful.  Scent- 
ing an  appropriation  from  the  State,  however,  the  horny-handed  grangers  of 
St.  Paul,  composed  of  such  distinguished  agriculturists  as  Henry  A.  Castle  and 
William  Lee,  at  once  manifested  the  liveliest  interest  and  sympathy  for  the  State 
Agricultural  Society,  and  successfully  worked  the  legislature  in  behalf  of  the 
Poor  Farm  scheme.  The  State  is  now  fully  committed  to  the  permanent  fair 
grounds;  and  nobody  has  any  complaint  to  make  on  that  score,  except  to  the 
porcine  principle  manifested  in  the  process.  Where  were  these  friends  of  the 
State  Fair  when  it  was  located  in  Southern  Minnesota,  that  they  did  not  ban- 
quet the  legislature  in  behalf  of  an  appropriation?  Not  much!  St.  Paul  is  for 
the  old  flag  with  an  appropriation.  Without  the  appropriation  the  State  Fair 
may  go.  And  this  is  the  measure  of  the  interest  of  St.  Paul  in  the  State  Fair. 
The  first  fair  held  on  the  new  grounds  was  principally  sustained  by  Minneapolis. 
As  between  the  two  cities,  Minneapolis  furnished  the  most  extensive  and  inter- 
esting exhibit,  and  when  it  came  to  the  attendance,  Minneapolis  people  on  the 
grounds,  as  shown  by  the  turn-stiles,  outnumbered  those  from  St.  Paul  in  the 
ratio  of  three  to  two.  Located  at  St.  Paul,  and  under  the  manipulation  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  State  fair  became  simply  an  instrument  cf  discrim- 
ination against  Minneapolis.  Railways,  several  of  them,  made  an  excursion 
rate  to  the  State  Fair,  selling  tickets  to  St.  Paul  only,  and  refusing  equal  facili- 
ties and  rates  to  reach  Minneapolis.  There  is  no  doubt  whatever  about  this, 
and  the  purpose  and  intent  of  the  scheme.  When  cornered  in  the  midst  of  the 
plan,  the  airy  excuse  was  given  that  it  was  merely  an  oversight  that  tickets  were 
not  put  on  sale  to  Minneapolis  on  the  same  terms  as  to  St.  Paul.  The  fact  was, 
as  in  many  other  instances,  St.  Paul  felt  that  she  could  not  derive  the  benefits 
of  the  location  of  the  State  Fair  in  Ramsey  county  unless  she  had  some  kind  of 
discrimination  to  help  her  out — unless  there  was  a fine  put  on  the  crowds  of 
people  coming  to  Minneapolis,  Minneapolis  would  get  the  lion’s  share  of  the 
crowd  and  their  pocket-money. 


90 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


And  now,  rising1  above  such  petty  schemes,  and  such  a hoggish  disposition 
to  feed  on  the  State  Treasury,  and  to  crowd  everybody  else  out  of  the  trough, 
Minneapolis  took  a broader  view  of  the  situation.  Minneapolis  business  men, 
catching  the  spirit  of  modern  display,  saw  that  the  old  plan  of  mammoth-cattle- 
pumpkin-turnip  - Berkshire  - pig-crazy-quilt-custard-pie-3-card-monte-ginger- 
bread-bossrace-blue-ribbon-never-pay-your  premium-fair  business  was  fast  going 
into  disuse  among  thriving,  enterprising  cities.  An  exposition  was  the  thing.  The 
State  Fair  was  all  right — no  objection  to  it  in  the  world— but  Minneapolis  had 
outgrown  it.  Nothing  short  of  an  exposition  would  answer  her  newly  awakened 
purpose.  Built  with  Minneapolis  money,  upon  Minneapolis  soil;  opened  to  the 
world  with  a characteristic  Minneapolis  welcome;  to  remain  open  six  weeks  or 
longer;  where  the  finest  fabrics  and  machinery,  the  most  delicate  processes,  the 
noblest  sculpture,  the  richest  paintings,  the  most  ravishing  music,  the  deftest 
skill  of  the  rarest  genius,  the  mostnovel  appliances,  the  most  curious  bric-a-brac — 
these,  and  myriads  of  other  things  could  be  shown  in  such  a structure,  which, 
in  the  very  nature  of  things,  could  not  be  shown  in  a State  Fair.  Besides,  the 
exposition  could  be  located  in  the  business  center  of  a city,  itself  a busy  hive  of 
inventive  progress  and  industry,  and,  above  all  others,  the  congenia  home 
for  an  Industrial  Exposition.  It  could  be  kept  open  day  and  nig'ff.  The  'ngth 
of  its  exhibition  would  make  practicable  putting  up  permai  nt  fixtures  for 
annual  displays. 

Seizing  with  wonderful  vigor  and  foresight  the  opportunity  thus  presented, 
with  malice  toward  none  and  charity  for  all,  the  business  men  of  Minneapolis 
have  thrust  their  hands  into  their  own  pockets,  and  raised  a quarter  of  a million 
dollars,  mutually  pledging  each  other  for  whatever  amount  more  may  be  neces- 
sary, to  have  an  Exposition  in  line  with  the  purposes  of  such  Expositions  as 
have  been  held  in  Philadelphia,  New  Orleans,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis. 
No  pent-up  State  Fair  can  contain  our  powers!  We  will  help  pay  its  bills,  but 
we  need  something  more.  The  doors  of  the  Minneapolis  Industrial  Exposition 
will  swing  wide  open  to  the  world  in  1886,  and  confer  lasting  benefits  on  man- 
kind and  the  State.  To  offset  such  a magnificent  scheme  as  this,  St.  Paul 
proposes  an  ice-carnival,  which  has  so  far  progressed  as  to  have  a plan  in  the 
hands  of  an  architect.  If  Minneapolis  should  once  become  afflicted  with  the  ice- 
carnival  craze,  it  would  not  be  surprising  if  they  were  to  spring  up  within  her 
borders  as  thick  as  skating  rinks!  The  Exposition  project,  and  the  boldness 
and  vigor  of  its  inception,  has  already  impressed  the  whole  country  with  the 
wonderful  nerve  and  self-confidence  of  this  giant  city  of  destiny.  Minneapolis 
asks  no  bonuses  for  building  great  hotels;  she  asks  no  appropriation  from  1 he 
legislature  to  sustain  a fair.  She  pays  willingly  one-fifth  of  the  State  tax  required 
to  make  such  appropriations  to  help  St  Paul;  and  all  she  asks  is  a fair  field  and 
no  favor  for  her  own  enterprise.  The  result  of  this  Exposition  scheme  of  Minne- 
apolis will  undoubtedly  be  to  save  the  State  Fair  from  ultimate  failure;  and  it 
will  demonstrate  what  has  been  so  often  shown  before,  that  Minneapolis  has 
earned  her  right  to  her  position  of  leadership  among  the  cities  of  Minnesota, 
and  of  the  whole  country. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPABED. 


91 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  SUPREMACY. 


For  ten  years  past  the  struggle  has  been  constant  and  painful  on  the 
part  of  St.  Paul  to  keep  up  with  Minneapolis.  She  has  had,  in  this 
race  for  supremacy,  for  such  it  is,  every  advantage.  She  has  been  the 
capital  of  the  State.  She  has  had  political  domination  in  both  the  lead- 
ing parties.  She  has  had  the  start  in  all  railway  enterprises,  and  has 
vigorously  used  her  advantage  discriminating  against  Minneapolis  in 
favor  of  St.  Paul  and  her  citizens  individually.  Indeed  discrimination 
has  been  the  secret  mainspring  of  her  success.  She  has  never  been  will- 
ing to  compete  in  an  open  field.  She  is  like  the  Indian  who  must 
always  have  an  advantage  before  he  gives  battle. 

Who  does  not  remember  only  a few  years  ago  when  strangers  in  St. 
Paul  were  told  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  in  Minneapolis — thefe 
were  no  hotels  there;  it  was  only  a saw  mill  town? 

Who  does  not  remember  the  one-sided  narrow  policy  adopted  by  the 
directors  of  the  old  St.  Paul  & Sioux  City  road  in  diverting  their  line 
from  Minneapolis  so  as  to  run  away  from  it — until  its  suicidal  policy 
brought  on  a reorganization  on  such  a basis  that  the  road  was  compelled 
to  enter  Minneapolis  to  get  a share  of  the  great  freight  traffic  carried  on 
here.  The  new  management  cared  more  for  freight  than  to  build  up 
St.  Paul  at  the  expense  of  the  stockholders,  and  at  the  sacrifice  of  the 
land  grant. 

The  contest  over  the  Northern  Pacific  road,  is  it  forgotten?  Accord- 
ing to  the  best  wisdom  of  its  fair-minded  authorities  it  was  deemed  best 
to  come  down  from  St.  Cloud  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  thus 
opening  up  a new  territory  and  bringing  its  products  to  Minneapolis  and 
St.  Paul.  But  forsooth,  because  this  plan  would  have  put  Minneapolis 
on  an  equal  footing  with  her  rival,  the  west  side  plan  must  be  knocked  in 
the  head.  But  the  inevitable  must  take  place  again.  Inside  of  five  years 
we  find  the  Northern  Pacific  traversing,  instead  of  the  west  side,  both 
sides  of  the  river,  erecting  a costly  bridge  and  spending  millions  to  secure 
the  right  of  way  through  the  city.  Well,  the  city  is  the  gainer  by  the 
foolish  mistakes  of  all  railway  corporate  managers,  who,  listening 
to  the  suggestions  of  their  narrow  St.  Paul  advisers,  hug  to  their  hearts 
the  delusion  that  they  can  afford  to  ignore  fair,  fat  and  prosperous  Min- 
neapolis. The  directors  and  stockholders  always  remedy  such  knavery 
or  stupidity  when  they  come  to  look  the  ground  over,  and  calculate  on 
dividend-paying  routes. 

Minneapolis  has  complacently  watched  this  oft-repeated  game,  confi- 
dent in  her  strength  of  position,  without  bribing  or  begging  the  consider- 
ation of  little  men  who  to-day  are  great  in  railway  management  and  to- 
morrow in  Europe  for  their  country’s  good. 


92 


A TALE  OE  TWO  CITIES. 


THE  UNION  OF  THE  TWO  CITIES. 


This  is  a favorite  theme  of  contemplation  for  a certain  class  of  St. 
Paul  statesmen,  who  having  done  all  things  possible  to  head  off  their 
lively  rival  in  a given  enterprise  and  failed,  finally  accept  the  inevitable 
and  decide  to  consent  that  Minneapolis  may  grow  provided  she  grow  to- 
ward St.  Paul.  The  union  of  the  Two  Cities  is  much  affected  at  state 
dinners  in  each,  after  the  champagne  has  so  warped  the  St.  Paul  ora- 
tor’s judgment  that  he  conceives  the  growth  of  Minneapolis  has  been 
duplicated  in  St.  Paul.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  two  cities  ever  become  one. 
There  seems  to  be  plenty  of  room  for  each  to  work  out  its  own  destiny. 
If  necessary  for  this  purpose  Minneapolis  may  take  in  the  balance  of 
Hennepin  county,  and  St.  Paul,  now  including  nearly  all  of  Ramsey  county, 
may  annex  and  absorb  the  balance  of  Dakota  county. 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST  PAUL  COMP  APED. 


93 


AMITY-COMITY-UNITY. 


We  believe  in  amity,  comity  and  unity — among  individuals  of  all 
races,  countries,  states  and  cities.  To  this  end  ive  send  envoys  extraor- 
dinary and  ministers  plenipotentiary  to  foreign  countries,  both  Christian 
and  pagan,  who  dine  cross-legged,  smoke  vile  narcotics  and  drink 
black  coffee  without  sugar  in  oriental  countries  for  the  sake  of  the 
dignity  of  their  own,  and  the  emoluments  thrown  in  ; who  speak  bad 
French  in  France,  worse  Dutch  in  Germany,  and  affect  the  snobocratic 
ways  and  drawl  of  court  circles  in  London. 

But  we  keep  a sharp  lookout  for  the  opportunities  to  extend  our 
commerce  to  South  America  and  the  Congo  country  meanwhile,  and  to 
prevent  Johnny  Bull,  and  Kaiser  William  and  Johnny  Crapeau  and  Petoff 
Ocomeoff  from  getting  an  advantage  over  us  in  our  own  and  in  foreign 
parts,  if  we  can.  That  is  to  say,  we  admire  their  sly  methods  of 
diplomacy,  not  to  say  duplicity,  but  we  try  to  look  out  for  ourselves, 
our  families  and  our  sacred  honor,  while  the  salaaming  and  the  smirk- 
ing and  swearing  of  everlasting  oaths  of  friendship  are  going  on  in  the 
grand  salon. 

We  deprecate  civil  war  between  states,  the  clash  of  interests  of 
the  sections,  the  struggles  for  capitals  and  county  seats,  the  competition 
of  cities  and  firms,  and  the  bickerings  of  newspapers.  What  a world 
of  conflict  it  is,  to  be  sure ! If  we  could  have  our  way  every 
state  should  have  the  same  representation  in  Congress,  the  same 
area,  the  same  amount  of  ready  money;  every  city  should  have 
the  same  population,  and  every  man,  woman,  and  child  should 
be  six  feet  high.  But  the  fate  and  destiny  of  states  and  cities 
and  men  has  been  ordered  otherwise.  New  York  must  be  the 

empire  state ; and  New  York  City  must  be  the  largest  city  in  the 
country.  Boston  must  be  the  hub,  Chicago  the  metropolis,  Cincin- 
nati the  pork,  Milwaukee  the  beer  city  of  the  West,  St.  Paul  (for  the 
present)  must  be  the  capit  d of  Minnesota;  and  Minneapolis  must  have 
the  biggest  mills,  the  biggest-hearted  people,  perhaps  the  biggest-headed 
too(!)  and  the  largest  population  by  at  least  35,000  of  any  city  North- 
west of  Milwaukee  and  Chicago.  It  won’t  do  for  Saint  Paul  to  claim 
such  large  things.  She  may  aspire  to  them;  there’s  no  law  against  a 
legitimate  desire  to  want  the  earth,  but  the  fates  and  the  facts  and 
the  figures  are  all  against  her.  We  wish  St.  Paul  well ; we  encourage 


94 


A TALE  OF  TWO  CITIES. 


Duluth,  and  pat  Winona,  Stillwater  and  a score  or  more  bright  cities  of 
Minnesota  on  the  head;  there’s  a wide  domain  for  each  of  them  to  grow 
in,  and  one' has  as  good  a right  and  as  fine  a prospect  as  the  other,  but 
when  you  come  to  talk  about  Minneapolis,  that’s  another  thing.  Min- 
neapolis is  the  pet  of  the  universe  ! She  has  the  nerve  and  the  enter- 
prise to  seize  the  reins.  Other  cities  may  get  on  and  ride  to  glory, 
but  Minneapois  must  drive.  The  story  of  the  growth  of  population 

in  this  state  all  shows  that.  There  is  no  parallel  anywhere  for  a city 

of  her  size  and  age,  and  while  she  may  excite  the  envy  of  her  nearest 
rival,  all  the  rest  of  the  world  bids  her  godspeed,  and  invests  in  her 
corner  lots  ! 


MINNEAPOLIS  AND  ST.  PAUL  COMPAKED. 


95 


THE  MAYOR’S  REVIEW  OF  MINNEAPOLIS. 


Hon.  Geo.  A.  Pillsbury,  Mayor  of  Minneapolis  and  President  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  in  an  address  recently  delivered  before  the  American  Banker’s 
Association,  condensed  a sketch  of  Minneapolis  and  her  commanding  importance 
in  the  list  of  American  cities  into  a few  words,  which  are  worth  quoting  in  this 
book: 

Twenty-seven  years  ago  Minnesota  became  a State.  Thirty-eight  years  ago 
the  first  settler  arrived  ar  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  Thirty  years  ago  Minne- 
apolis was  unknown.  Up  to  thirty  years  ago  last  February  the  spot  where  we 
now  are  was  a military  reservation.  At  that  time  this  reservation  was  open  to 
pre-emption,  and  the  country  north  of  this  place  was  mostly  inhabited  by  In- 
dians. The  population  in  1860  was  5,822;  in  1870  was  18,097;  in  1880  was 
46.887;  in  1885  was  129,200. 

Twenty-three  years  since  the  only  railroad  in  the  State  was  a road  between  St. 
Paul  and  Minneapolis.  The  first  railroad  proper  to  enter  Minneapolis  was  the 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul,  which  was  in  1867,  eighteen  years  ago.  We  now  have 
some  twelve  roads  centering  in  the  city,  operating  19,800  miles  of  road.  We 
now  have  more  than  100  passenger  trains  daily,  and  originate  more  than  230,- 
000  car  loads  of  freight. 

Minneapolis  is  to-day  the  largest  flour  manufacturing  city  in  the  world.  Its 
milling  capacity  is  81,000  barrels  per  day.  To  make  this  amount  of  flour  re- 
quires 189,000  bushels  of  wheat  daily,  or  about  40,000,000  bushels  per  year  To 
bring  this  amount  of  wheat  to  the  mills  requires  more  than  300  cars  per  day, 
and  to  take  the  product  away  requires  about  300  cars.  It  takes  on  an  average 
about  fifteen  days  to  transport  flour  to  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia  or  Bal- 
timore, so  that  it  requires  about  4,500  cars  on  the  road  continually  to  take  the 
product  of  these  mills  to  Eastern  markets.  Allowing  twenty  cars  for  a freight 
train,  these  mills  furnish  fifteen  full  freight  trains  each  dag  Minneapolis  is 
also  the  largest  wheat  market  in  the  United  States,  New  York  only  excepted. 
We  also  manufacture  annually  about  300,000,000  feet  of  lumber.  I venture  the 
assertion  that  no  city  in  the  United  States  of  the  same  size  furnishes  so  large  an 
amount  of  freight  as  Minneapolis , Our  jobbing  trade  has  increased  from  $5,373,- 
000  in  1876  to  $58,627,500  in  1884. 

Our  retail  trade  has  increased  from  $8,000,000  in  1878  to  $33,000,000  in  1884. 
We  have  sixteen  banks,  with  a capital  representing  $6,500,010,  besides  a sur- 
plus of  nearly  $1,000,000.  We  have  ninety  churches. 

No  city  in  the  Union  has  better  educational  advantages  than  Minneapolis.* 
We  have  thirty-two  public  school  buildings,  affording  accommodations  for  14,- 
000  pupils.  The  school  buildings  cost  about  $1,000,000,  and  are  all  paid  for. 
The  State  University  is  also  located  here,  and,  besides,  we  have  fifteen  acad- 
emies and  parochial  schools,  with  an  average  attendance  of  over  3,000  pupils. 

The  assessed  value  of  property  for  purpose  of  taxation  in  1884  was  $23,415,- 
256;  1885  it  was  $35,953,995.  Our  city  debt  is  less  than  4 per  cent  of  its  valua- 
tion. Our  city  charter  requires  that  a tax  of  one  mill  shall  be  assessed  each 
year,  to  be  invested  as  a sinking  fund,  to  pay  our  indebtedness  as  it  shall 
mature.  The  fund  will  afford  means  to  pay  every  dollar  of  its  indebtedness 
many  years  before  it  becomes  due. 

Minnesota  is  a new  State,  but  has  a grand  future  before  her.  Her  develop- 
ed has  been  wonderful.  Minneapolis  is  a young  city,  and  her  development 


96 


A TALE  OP  TWO  CITIES. 


has  been  marvelous.  If  you  will  look  at  the  map  of  the  United  States  you  will 
see  at  a glance  that  Minneapolis  stands  at  the  gateway  of  the  great  Northwest. 
You  will  also  notice  the  country  tributary  to  it.  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Montana, 
Wyoming,  Nebraska,  one-hall  of  Iowa  and  one-half  of  Wisconsin,  are  all  nearer 
to  Minneapolis  than  to  Chicago  or  Milwaukee.  This  country  embraces  about 
655,000  square  miles,  and  is  equal  in  territory  to  all  of  the  northeastern  states, 
the  states  of  New  York,  Delaware,  New  Jersey,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Indiana, 
Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina,  Tennessee  and 
Virginia,  and  there  would  be  enough  left  to  make  seven  states  as  large  as  Min- 
nesota. Minnesota  alone  is  as  large  in  territory  as  all  of  New  England,  New 
Jersey  and  Maryland,  Minnesota  and  Dakota  are  as  large  as  New  York,  Mass- 
achusetts, Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Vermont,  Virginia  and 
West  Virginia.  Minnesota  alone  would  make  two  states  as  large  as  Ohio;  two 
as  large  as  Kentucky;  three  as  large  as  South  Carolina;  eight  as  large  as  Ver- 
mon(  or  Maryland;  ten  as  large  as  New  Jersey;  eleven  as  large  as  Massachu- 
setts; eighteen  as  large  as  Connecticut;  thirty-nine  as  large  as  Delaware,  and 
sixty-four  as  large  as  Rhode  Island.  Minnesota  and  Dakota  would  make  five 
states  as  large  as  New  York  or  Pennsylvania;  twenty-two  as  large  as  Mary- 
land; thirty  as  large  as  Massachusetts;  fifty  as  large  as  Connecticut,  and  180  as 
large  as  Rhode  Island.  Minnesota  and  Dakota  alone,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
Northwestern  states  and  territories,  are  capable  of  sustaining  a population  of 
50,000,000,  if  settled  as  thickly  as  Rhode  Island,  or  if  as  many  to  the  square 
mile  as  Massachusetts,  they  would  sustain  a population  of  52,000,000. 


Date  Due 

! 

Form  335.  45M  8-37. 

917.75  J5ST  P42805 

Johnson 

Tale  of  Ttto  Cities 


,917,75  J66T 


P 4 380 5 


